Brotherly Love
by nherbie
Summary: John makes a surprise visit to Dave for a quick hello. Somehow, things don't go according to plan, but when do they ever?
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

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Colonel John Sheppard drove his rented convertible Corvette Stingray up the long sweeping driveway. It was a specialty rental and a lot more expensive than the normal mid-size, but it gave him the performance and speed he craved. Didn't hurt that anyone would look good in it. He slowed as the house he grew up in came into view and memories swamped him, some good, some bad and some fairly recent of both varieties. The last time he'd been here, he'd had to run out on his father's wake, leaving a very angry brother behind him. When he'd come back after they'd found and destroyed the rogue replicator, he'd thought Dave wasn't even going to let him in, but then he'd relented and moved out of the doorway, gesturing for John to enter. They'd talked, albeit stiltedly, as Dave continued to harbor resentment and suspicion while John had to continue to withhold information on where he'd gone and why, due to national security. They'd reached an uneasy truce and John had had to head back to Atlantis. They'd kept in touch via email and the tenor of their conversations had eased over the months as the brothers tried to reconnect.

When Atlantis had returned to Earth to stop the Wraith super hive and then been stuck there, he'd met Dave for dinner several times but never returned to this house. Earth no longer felt like home and when they'd finally convinced the IOA that the city belonged back in the Pegasus Galaxy, he'd let Dave know he was shipping out again. The response was less than happy as it was obvious John was thrilled with the idea and they'd slid backwards for a while. Now, he was back on Earth for a mandatory meeting that had left him stunned and he'd decided to surprise his brother at home before he headed back to the city the next morning. He'd checked with Dave's office and his assistant had told him their CEO was in town and was attending some black-tie event that evening. He was then surprised to hear that his brother was at home instead of in the office. John felt a little cowardly as he knew Dave would be busy right now and the visit would be necessarily short. He smiled ruefully. He still felt like an outsider in this house. Atlantis was more home to him than it had been for a very long time. He pulled up and parked next to Dave's oh so respectable Volvo.

Getting out, he straightened his sport coat and shot his sleeves, not bothering to try to tame his hair, it just wasn't worth the effort. He'd foregone a shirt and tie, instead opting to wear a turtleneck in deference to the chill in the air. He still felt Dave would find fault with his dress, the jeans and worn boots probably weren't up to his standards. He stopped himself, this was why their conversations deteriorated so quickly. He had to stop looking for condemnation from his older brother and not expect the worst. And if he did get it, he needed to let it go. He looked up at the house and sighed. He'd come here of his own volition and now had to fight the desire to get back in the car to return to the hotel, maybe stopping at a bar on the way. He shook himself and headed up the walk to the front door. Without giving himself a chance to think, he knocked quickly and waited. He frowned when there was no answer, realizing there was always the possibility that Dave was out with someone else. He'd just decided to turn away when the door opened, and his brother stood there, looking shocked.

"John?"

He grinned and asked. "Surprise?"

"John, I…I wasn't expecting you. When did you get back? How long are you here for? Look, this really isn't a good time." David Sheppard was a bit frazzled as he'd just learned that morning that the President of the United States would be attending the fund raiser he was going to that night. He wanted to make a good impression, providing he was actually introduced to the man. It was going to be a crush and his company wasn't the only one being represented and, while big, it wasn't the biggest. He'd been trying on one tux after another, trying to find the best look and this interruption was both unexpected and unwelcome, although he did find himself pleased to see his little brother on his doorstep.

"I just got in yesterday, today was the first day I was free. I need to head back tomorrow and thought I'd take a chance on you being around. If now isn't good, I can come back next time I'm stateside." Or galaxy side he said in his head, fighting a smile at the way it sounded.

Dave knew the next time could be months, if ever. He still didn't know what it was his brother did for the Air Force, but he knew it had to be dangerous if he couldn't talk about it. He worried about getting _that_ visit. He thought about it and then had an idea. His invitation had been accepted as plus one but he was now going alone. He could take John, let him see how important the company their father had started really was. The good works it did on the side. And if having a Lt. Colonel in the Air Force with him who just happened to be a fighter pilot who flew top secret missions didn't give him some cachet, then he didn't know what would. He felt a little guilty about using his brother that way but convinced himself the major benefit would be getting to spend some quality time together. He wouldn't mention the President though, sure that would be enough to get a resounding ' _oh hell_ _no'_ in response.

"Look, John, I have this fund raiser tonight that I can't miss. It's for Doctors without Borders."

John smiled widely. "That's a great cause! Good friend of mine was a member. I contribute myself." Carson Beckett was the best doctor he knew, with Jennifer Keller a close second, and anything the man thought highly of, was good enough for him.

"You do? That's great! So, would you like to go with me as my plus one?"

John blanched. The last thing he wanted to do was get dressed up in a monkey suit and play nice with a bunch of rich snobs, even for a good cause. Desperately, he asked. "Christina?" His voice came out higher pitched than he would have liked.

"We broke up."

"Again?"

Dave sighed. He was pretty sure Christina was the one and that she felt the same about him. Their relationship, however, was complicated. They broke up and got back together on a regular basis. He was pretty sure she'd broken up with him, this time anyway, just to get out of going tonight. It wasn't really her thing.

"Yes, again. Now, will you, or won't you?" He put on his best hopeful face and watched the emotions play over John's. He knew he had him when resignation hit and stayed.

"Fine, what do I have to do?"

Dave rubbed his hands together as he planned it out. "Well, you'll need a tux."

John interrupted him. "A tux?!" His voice even higher pitched then before. He'd hoped that maybe he could get away with what he had on, maybe switch out the jeans for a borrowed pair of dress pants, although his brother was a bit taller and thicker. He should have known better; fund raisers had been a part of his life growing up.

"Yes, yes. I know just the person to help! None of mine will fit you. Come on in and I'll give him a call."

John wondered how he'd been talked into this without even having made it into the house yet. He numbly followed, actually hoping for that phone call that said he had to drop everything and return to the SGC to help save Earth or Atlantis from some enemy or another. He stilled that thought, knowing it was selfish. He'd faced wraith and replicators, iratus bugs, entities that lived in crystals that entered your dreams and could kill you. Hell, he'd dealt with Lucius Lavin, _twice_. He didn't even want to think about Kolya. This should be a piece of cake.

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Three hours later, and six different tuxes with the requisite shirts, had been tried on and discarded. That Dave had a place that sold tuxedos on speed dial, and that they'd come to him with a whole wardrobe without a single protest, had kind of impressed him. The small guy that showed up had impressed as well. Francois had looked him up one side and down the other, then proceeded to rummage through the rack of clothes he'd brought with him. He'd known exactly what size would fit, without a single measurement. However, even he was beginning to get frustrated as either one brother or the other would find fault with the current offering. John wanted comfort, Dave wanted style.

Francois had one left to show them and then he would fail, something he was not accustomed to doing. He offered the last one, an Armani Collezioni G-Line with a satin lapel that was classic but comfortable, with some trepidation. He'd gotten a feel for the younger brother and offered a simple but elegant shirt and bow tie to go with it. The fit was as perfect as if it had been meant for him, it wouldn't even need any last minute alterations, and there was silence in the room. Francois found himself thinking of James Bond. He'd known David Sheppard for quite a while but had never met the brother. While Dave was cool and classically good looking, the brother was something else. Rakishly handsome with a lean, hard body that was to die for. Add in the intense hazel eyes that contrasted so sharply with the messy dark hair and he was practically in love. John Sheppard had shown little modesty, stripping down between each offering. Through the conversation going on around him, he understood the brother was military and, from what he'd heard over the years, that would cure the modesty out of most anyone. He'd also noticed the various scars on the man's body and found himself wondering at the story behind each one. Not that he'd ask. However, he'd have plenty to talk about when he got back to the shop.

He stepped back and waited. Both brothers looked at the full-length mirror Dave had brought down to the living room that had become an impromptu dressing room. Neither spoke for a moment until Dave cleared his throat. "You'll need cuff links. I think dad would have been proud if you wore a pair of his." He picked up the box he'd brought down and opened it to show a beautiful pair of understated silver cuff links with an simple S engraved on them. He'd known better than to offer John a pair of the gold ones or one of several studded with diamonds.

John reached out and ran a finger over them. He looked up at his brother with an expression Dave thought was regret. "Do you really think so?"

"I know so. And John, these are to go with you when you leave. They're yours." They smiled sadly at each other and John nodded his acceptance.

Dave turned to Francois. "We'll need dress shoes as well and some socks to go with them."

"Of course, Mr. Sheppard. As always, I brought several styles in several sizes. I'm sure one will work." He asked John for his size and then hurried out to the van and pulled out just the style he was pretty sure the Colonel would like. He already knew the others would be too fancy for him. Inside, he placed several boxes on the floor, the size he'd been given, a size down and a size up just in case. He knew that not only were these understated but stylish, they were also very comfortable, something he was sure would be a major consideration in the choice. If these didn't meet with approval, he still had three more styles to chose from. He opened the box in the size he'd been told and handed them to John, along with a pair of black dress socks. He knew it was the right choice when he saw the slight smile that appeared on the man's face and, if he was honest, his heart fluttered a bit.

John sat down and put them on, standing up and walking around the room. The shoes were very comfortable and fit like they'd been made for him. A far cry from his normal combat boots. He nodded his approval and David smiled at the picture his little brother presented and said. "This is perfect. Put it on my bill."

John's head snapped up. "You will do no such thing. I'm perfectly capable of paying for it myself." And he was. With his regular salary, plus the hazardous combat pay, money he didn't have anywhere to spend in the Pegasus Galaxy, he had built up quite the healthy nest egg. Add in what his dad had left him, and he was actually pretty well off. What little he'd spent over the last few years, had gone towards making life better on Atlantis for all the personnel. Not that they knew that he'd paid for the pool table or the two big screen televisions with the huge complimentary library of DVDs. As far as anyone knew, the various governments of the countries represented on base had provided them. Even with that, he still had a bank account that most would envy.

Dave opened his mouth to protest but knew the mutinous expression on the face looking back at him only too well. "If you insist."

John dug out his wallet and handed a black Mastercard to Francois as Dave's jaw dropped open a little. By the time the sale had been rung up and paid for, he had his normal placid look pasted back on. John changed back into his regular clothes, knowing he'd have to shower and shave before they left and then helped the little man put the discarded clothes back on the rack. He'd then proceeded to help him lever the rack into the back of the store's van and the little man fell the rest of the way in love. He couldn't remember when a customer had done anything but dismiss him once they had what they wanted, leaving him to clean up their mess and wrestle with the rack by himself.

"My thanks Mr. Sheppard."

"It's John or Colonel Sheppard, Francois."

"Then, thank you…John." He got into the van and slowly drove down the driveway, watching the brothers move back into the house. The difference between them was marked and he knew which one he preferred. He hummed along with the radio on the way back, daydreaming about a pair of hazel eyes.

Back at the house, unaware of the effect he'd had on the nice little man from his brother's tailor, John stretched and yawned a little. Trying on clothes was exhausting. He could run on only coffee for hours while sprinting from one place to another putting out fires on Atlantis but this, this was a different kind of tired. Dave noticed and looked at his watch. "You have time for a rest before we need to get ready, if you'd like John. I'd say about an hour and a half to two hours. How long will it take you to shower and shave?"

"Ten minutes." He yawned again.

"I'm sorry, did you say ten minutes?"

John blinked at him. "Yeah, why?"

"I just…I mean…well. Okay then, you have closer to three hours. Let's take these up to the guest room and I'll get you a razor. I'm sure you don't have anything with you as you weren't expecting this."

"That's okay, I have my kit in the car. Never go anywhere without it." John trotted out to the Corvette and opened the trunk, pulling his duffle out and slinging it over his shoulder. Dave watched and wondered at the kind of man he'd become, ready and willing to go at a moment's notice to defend his country. He felt pride swell up inside of him, pushing aside the niggling voice that said that moment's notice could end in the death of his little brother. Once back in the house, Dave picked up the suit bag Francois had carefully packed the tux and shirt in, John picking up the rest and they headed up the stairs in companionable silence.

After taking the clothes out of the bag and hanging them in the huge walk in closet of the guest room, Dave turned and said. "I'll wake you about 6:30. Will that give you enough time to be ready to go by 7? The opening reception starts at 7:30 and it should only take about twenty minutes to get there." He had a car service picking him up in a limo, more than enough room for one more.

"Sure, that will be plenty of time." John yawned again and sat down on the bed, almost moaning at how soft it was. His bed back on Atlantis was too short and the mattress a bit thin. Still, he was used to it. This felt almost decadent. He laid back, fully clothed and stifled a groan of pleasure. His eyes closed, and he jerked them open, not wanting to sleep fully clothed. He sat back up and found Dave watching him.

"What?"

"Nothing, nothing. I'll leave you alone to get that rest."

"Thanks." He stood up and started to pull his clothes off one more time. Dave moved to leave but stopped and turned back.

"John?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm glad you're going with me tonight." He meant it. He was actually looking forward to a full evening in his brother's company, something other than a quick meal where John ran off right after they were done eating.

John studied him and then nodded. "Yeah, me to." Dave nodded and left, leaving his brother staring after him in contemplation. Maybe they could do this. Be brothers. He pulled his boots and socks off and fell onto the bed, dropping into sleep immediately. If Wraith and replicators walked his dreams, making him twitch now and then, he wouldn't remember it when he woke up.

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John tweaked the bowtie into place, pleased with how it looked. He smiled at his reflection, remembering his father teaching how to do it. How they'd laughed, and Patrick hadn't made fun of his young fumbling fingers. He sobered. That was before he'd started developing his own personality and dreams, leading to screaming arguments and cold shoulders, eventually to banishment. He'd wanted to go to Stanford, not Harvard. He'd wanted to fly, not sit at a desk all day. Patrick Sheppard would have none of that and had cut his youngest son off, thinking that would lead to him crawling back and towing the line. He hadn't understood his son very well. Instead, John had joined the Air Force and gone to college on the GI bill. He'd graduated top of his class and had immediately selected fighter planes as his career path. His innate ability with any aircraft had led to more and more dangerous missions and a golden path to promotions. That was until his moral compass had led him to defy orders and he was banished once again. This time to fly helicopters in Antarctica. Still, that had led him to Atlantis and to Teyla. He'd suppressed his feelings for his teammate, glad he had when he found out she was pregnant with a fellow Athosian's child. Obviously, she hadn't felt the same about him and his pride had been intact, if not his heart.

When they'd arrived back on Earth, Teyla had been with them, as well as Torren. He adored the child and had been surprised at the lack of interest Kanaan had slowly shown his son as the child grew. When he was an infant, the man was as attentive as any father he'd ever seen. As the boy grew, Kanaan had distanced himself more and more, leaving all the parenting to Teyla. He hadn't said anything. Their culture was different and, for all he knew, this was normal. Of course, there was Halling who adored his son Jinto, but the boy's mother wasn't in the picture, having been culled when he was just a baby. He'd posited that that was the reason why and left his nose out her love life, not admitting that he was protecting his heart. By the time they'd left for Earth, Kanaan was spending most of his time on the mainland.

When she'd fiercely decreed to Woolsey that she would go with them to help them save his world, like his people had done for hers and many others, Kanaan had been called back so that he could join them in the journey. He, however, had quickly declined, leaving his little family to fly away without him. John hadn't heard about that until after the Wraith had been destroyed and he was back with them. The fact that it didn't seem to bother her, bothered him. He'd finally broached the subject and she'd been honest with him. She cared about the father of her child but wasn't in love with him. That she'd tried to love him, but her heart belonged to someone else. Had for a long time. When he'd finally understood what she'd been trying to tell him, they'd begun to stumble their way towards becoming a couple. He loved her and Torren with all his heart and was proud of them. He hoped to tell his brother during this visit. That he'd finally found the _one_ and was happy. He already had a back story ready about where she was from and how they'd met. Maybe, he would have time tonight, as long as he felt out his brother about his own relationship. He didn't want to look like he was rubbing Dave's nose in it. No, no, he would make time tonight. He wanted his brother to know.

He put on the silver cufflinks and decided he was ready. He checked his watch and realized he had over twenty minutes to kill. He took one last look in the mirror, wishing Teyla could see him and smiled wryly. My, how he had changed. He'd had to dress up a few times when he was married to Nancy and he'd never wondered what she thought about the way he looked, his only concern had been how quickly he could get back into more comfortable clothes. He snapped his fingers a few times and then paused, wondering when he'd picked up that habit from Rodney. Smiling, he rummaged around in his old suit coat pockets to find the cell phone Walter had handed him before he left that morning and took a picture of himself in the mirror. He sent it to her via his secure email channel, knowing he'd probably be home before she actually got it. He wandered out of his room and down to the living room, figuring he'd pour himself a glass of liquid courage. Somehow, he wasn't surprised to find Dave already there. Something about tonight had his brother wound up tight and he found himself wondering what it was.

"John, what can I get you?"

"Glenfiddich, neat."

Dave blinked. He'd been sure his brother would ask for a beer. "Really?"

"Yeah, that doctor I told you about? He's a fan and got me addicted to it. Not easy to get on base, although Carson seems to manage with no problem." He smiled in remembrance. Carson was one of his closest friends, his family, right up there with Rodney, Ronon, Radek and Lorne. The Scottish doctor was a force in his own right and he wouldn't have it any other way. Dave raised an eyebrow and wondered. Not saying anything, he poured the drink and handed it to his brother. John took a long sip and sighed appreciatively. He smiled at Dave and took a seat on the couch. Dave returned the smile and sat in the closest chair, resting his left ankle over his right knee.

"So, what have you been up to, that you can tell me about?" He asked.

Now was his opportunity. John sat up and placed his drink on the coffee table. "Actually, there is something that I wanted to tell you. Something I hope you'll be happy about." He took a deep breath. Talking about his feelings was something he was not comfortable with, an issue Teyla was helping him get over. "I've met someone."

"John, that's great! Is it this doctor you keep talking about?" He didn't care about his brother's sexual orientation, he just wanted him to be happy. The look of confusion that crossed John's face surprised him. When he burst into laughter, Dave bristled a little.

"Carson? You mean Carson?" John chortled. "I can't wait to get back to base and tell him. Knowing him, he'll be all weepy eyed. Although I doubt his girlfriend, Major Laura Cadman will be as pleased." The doc and Cadman had gotten back together shortly after they'd returned Atlantis to Pegasus. He still wasn't sure if was the right fit for his friend, but he kept his nose out of it. "No, her name is Teyla."

"Oh. Oh. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to imply…."

"Dave, don't worry about it. The fact that you could be happy for me finding love with another man, says a lot about you."

"You aren't upset?"

"No, why should I be? I don't think there's anything wrong with it. Love is hard enough to find."

"So, tell me about her!"

John spent the next fifteen minutes talking about Teyla, the things she could do, how proud of her he was, how stunned he was that she found him worthy of her love. He talked about Torren, laughing about little things, proudly telling his brother about the boy's first steps, first words. The longer he talked, the more Dave found himself missing Christina. Maybe it was time to stop playing games and make it official. Somehow, they were both surprised when the car pulled up the driveway. It was the longest the two of them had talked without rancor in years. They smiled and stood. Dave made sure he had the invitations and gestured towards the door. John headed out and Dave pulled the door closed behind him. He knew some were surprised he didn't have staff but, other than his cleaning service, he preferred to do for himself when at home. They got into the car and headed out into the night.

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	2. Chapter 2

A/N - several people have commented that Dave is different in this story than in my prior one, You're Not Much Like Your Brother, Are You?. I'm still not happy with the way he treated John, but I have read several stories since then that showed Dave in a kinder, gentler light and I decided to give that a shot.

A/N2 - forgot to say, I own nothing in the Stargate realm except my OCs and maybe, just maybe, one small Colonel John Sheppard action figure that I picked up recently off Amazon.

A/N3 - thanks to honus47 for being my beta and friend. Also, I know I owe responses to reviews to this and other stories and am woefully behind. New Year's resolution is to catch up on all of them!

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Chapter 2

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John took another sip of his scotch and wandered around the room. It was actually quite beautiful, although nothing would ever eclipse Atlantis in his mind. The huge center reception area, with its marble floors and huge flower arrangements, was full of people drinking and eating. The two sweeping stairways on either side of the room that led to the second level were being heavily used. The upper level had balconies where yet more people stood, eating, drinking and watching the crowds below. There was a small discrete stage set up between the stairways that he figured would be used to thank contributors and beg for more to join them or increase their current donations. He'd been introduced to more people than he could ever remember names for. Dave had made it a point to mention he was in the Air Force, using his rank, something he hadn't corrected him on. He'd been so wrapped up in telling his brother about Teyla, he had forgotten all about his other news. Full bird Colonel now. His promotion had been one of the reasons he'd been called home.

He'd been a little disappointed that no one else from Atlantis had been there to see it but he understood why. The President had wanted to do the honors and there was no way they would allow aliens to attend, even if they _had_ been every bit as instrumental in saving Earth as he'd been. The only other people he would have liked to have been there were Carson, Rodney, Radek and Lorne but the four of them had been off world helping with a medical issue afflicting one of their allies. Allies with access to Ancient technology which they offered in exchange for said assistance, making Rodney practically drool and ignore his usual concern about being around sick people. When the request had come from the SGC for him to return to Cheyenne Mountain immediately, he'd had no one to keep him company on the trip and, not knowing what the command was all about, he'd been worried and could've used the support of his team and friends.

Once the reason for his return was explained to him, he missed them even more. The ceremony had been small and quiet, just himself, General O'Neill, General Landry and the President's Secret Service detail. The President had been personable and spent some time making small talk with him, predominantly asking questions about what living on Atlantis was really like. Even so, he'd been uncomfortable with all the attention. Looking around, he found Dave with a group of people, in his element as he laughed and talked. John noticed that his eyes strayed to the door now and again, though. He wondered what that was all about. Dave caught his eye and excused himself from the group. John stood still and waited.

"Are you enjoying yourself?" Dave asked.

John just looked at him incredulously. How could anyone enjoy this? He opened his mouth to retort when there was a disturbance at the main entrance. A group of men entered, his instincts and training kicking in as he unconsciously counted eight, instantly realizing that they weren't here for the party, figuring out defensive positions with the least number of civilian casualties. As they spread out, John tensed until he recognized one of them and his stomach dropped. He turned back to Dave, about to say something, when the party's host stepped up on the stage and took the microphone.

"Ladies and Gentlemen! It is my great privilege to introduce to you, our guest of honor. Henry Hayes, President of the United States of America!" There was a lot of clapping as the man himself made his way into the room, waving and smiling. Dave looked excited and John knew this was what he'd been waiting for. He sighed and took another sip as the President was escorted around the room, being introduced to as many people as possible. The man took it all in stride, looking happy to be there and he probably was. He lapped this stuff up. When the group headed towards the Sheppard brothers, Dave straightened up as John turned away, looking for a way out. He didn't want to get caught up in the middle of this spectacle. Behind him, he heard his brother being introduced to the president.

"Mr. President, may I introduce the CEO of Sheppard Industries, David Sheppard. One of our staunchest supporters and a significant donor to the program."

"I'm honored to meet you, sir." He heard Dave say. He tried to squirm through the crowd, to head away, but it was too packed. He felt trapped and wanted out. "I'd like to introduce you to my brother as well." Dave turned and realized John was no longer by his side. He searched the crowd and Hayes followed his eyes, catching sight of something familiar and smirked.

"John? I'd know that hair anywhere, you might as well quit trying to run." Hayes called out. Dave's jaw dropped open for the second time that day as he watched his brother's shoulders slump. John slowly turned and made his way back to them.

"Sir, it's an honor to see you again." John made nice. He hated being the center of attention and the man in front of him was well aware of that and found it amusing. He planned on playing on that fact. Using the Colonel's first name had been just the beginning.

"Well, color me surprised! Not often I get to promote someone to full bird Colonel, give them the Congressional Medal of Honor and not one, but _two_ Purple Hearts one day, then find out the next that he's one of the Sheppard Industries family." Hayes voice boomed out across the room and John cringed. Heads turned to see who the President was talking to, people craning their necks to get a peek at whoever was the focus of his attention. John was trying to ignore the annoyed look on his brother's face, keeping his focus on the man in front of him, wishing the floor would just open up and swallow him whole. It may have been that discomfort that saved the man's life. His Secret Service detail was focused on the crowd, diligently looking for any outward threat but it was John who saw the red laser light on the President's chest.

"Gun! Everyone get down!" He yelled. He didn't think, didn't pause, as he threw himself in front of Hayes, pandemonium breaking out in the room as people screamed and began to stampede towards the exits. The deafening sound of a panicked crowed drowned out the sound of the gun discharging, but he knew it had been. He felt the bite in his abdomen and had a momentary thought along the lines of why him. They both went down, and John kept his body covering Hayes. "Sir? Are you all right sir?"

"I think so. What the hell is going on?"

"Laser sight, your chest."

"Well…huh." Hayes looked up, expecting to find Sheppard looking down at him, instead the man was scanning the upper balconies intensely. He knew when the Colonel had located his quarry when his body tensed and his eyes narrowed. John had spotted one person leisurely making his way away from the exits that everyone else was desperately trying to reach. That fact told him that the man was not a professional. A professional would have blended into the crowd and exited with them, just one more scared rabbit. He stood up in one fluid motion and held his hand out to the SS agent he'd recognized.

"Jenkins, your gun! Now!"

Without hesitation, the man handed over his sig and John flicked the safety off. The other men on the detail tensed, their attention now on him. Paying no attention, John tracked the man as he moved, calculations on distance and velocity instantly done in his head. He led the man, watched for an opening where no one else was close enough to be hit, and released a breath, pulling the trigger gently, watching as he went down in a spray of blood, eliciting more screams from the those around him. The SS detail split up, one moving up each of the stairs towards the balcony, guns drawn, bucking the crowds like salmon swimming upstream against the tide of humanity who had one thought. Out! The rest of the team remained with their charge. The sound of guns being primed brought him back and, without thinking about it, he flipped on the safety and put his gun back in his holster, trying several times before it registered he wasn't wearing one. Sheepishly, he handed the gun back to Senior Agent Jenkins.

"Nice shot, John."

"Thanks, Barry."

One of the other agents approached, keeping his gun trained on Sheppard as he talked to Jenkins. "How did he know who it was? Do we even know if he got the right man? He could be in on it."

"Oh, for god's sake, Stevens, chill. This man just saved our President's life!" Stevens hadn't been part of yesterday's detail when the President presented the awards and promotion. He was a good agent, but a bit overzealous and paranoid.

"So he says." The gun didn't waver.

Exasperated, John said. " _He_ says nothing of the sort. I saw a threat and I acted. I have no idea if that man wanted Hayes dead or even wounded. For all I know, he might have had another target and the President was just in the way. There are a lot of very important people here tonight. It's a smorgasbord of targets for everything from revenge to corporate espionage."

Hayes snorted, and all eyes turned to him. Jenkins surveyed his charge, noticing the blood on the man's shirt for the first time. "Sir, are you hit? Do you need a medic?" His hand was already going to the radio in his right ear, ready to sound the alarm that the President had been injured.

"What? No, no. At least, I don't think so." Hayes frantically pawed at the large splotch on blood on the lower left side of his shirt and could find no hole. "No, it's not mine." All eyes turned to John who opened his mouth to say something when Jenkins put a hand back to his ear. The rest waited to hear what he was being told. He nodded twice but said nothing. When done, he looked back at the group.

"Well?" Hayes asked.

"He's alive, barely. No identification but he still had the gun on him. We got the right man."

"Good, wouldn't have done to kill him. You can't interrogate a dead man." Sheppard said.

Stevens looked at him with narrowed eyes. "Are you telling me you made _that_ shot from _this_ distance with the intention of only _wounding_ him, not _killing_ him?"

"That would be what I'm telling you." He turned to Jenkins, who he knew was the lead agent on this detail and who he trusted. "Whoever he is, you need to find out who he's working for and why they were going for the President. Make sure your men search him carefully, including his dental work. Get him to a doctor but make sure he's under restraint the whole time and in a secure facility with only your most trusted people attending him." He and Jenkins exchanged looks, ignoring everyone else.

"Trust?" Jenkins asked softly.

"Maybe, probably, but you can't rule out anyone. Just don't take any chances that he either kills himself or is assassinated before he can tell us anything."

Stevens made one more attempt to gain control. "Who the hell are you to tell us how to do our job?"

Hayes answered this time. "Colonel John Sheppard, United States Air Force, Special Ops, Congressional Medal of Honor recipient, Air Force Distinguished Service Medal recipient and four-time recipient of the Purple Heart, among other things I can't even remember at the moment, please meet Secret Service Agent, Peter Stevens."

Sheppard put his hand out as Stevens attempted to wipe the astonishment off his face. "Sir, my apologies." He stuttered as he took the proffered hand.

"No need, Stevens, you're just doing your job. Might I suggest you get the President out of here before this turns into a media circus?"

Stevens nodded as Jenkins surveyed the crowd and he too nodded just as John realized he'd lost track of his brother. He turned to search the crowd, only to find Dave standing right behind him, a dazed look on his face as he listened to a conversation he probably shouldn't have been privy to.

"Dave?" When he got no answer, he started to get worried. "Dave? Dave, are you hurt?" Slowly, Dave's eyes focused on him.

"You just shot a man."

"Uh, yeah. Sorry you had to see that."

"You just saved the President's life?"

"Right place, right time."

"Are you nuts!?" Dave came out of his stupor.

"What?"

"I saw you dive in front of a bullet meant for another man. Are you nuts?" Dave still couldn't wrap his brain around everything that had just happened and the things he'd just learned about his little brother.

"Dave, these men do this all day, every day. It's part of the job."

"Well, then, why didn't you let one of them do it?"

"Not enough time. Like I said, right place, right time. Or, if you'd prefer, wrong place, wrong time."

"You could have been killed!"

"He's our President, Dave."

"And if he wasn't?"

"What do you mean?" John was starting to feel a little fuzzy or wouldn't have asked that question. He would have been able to suss out exactly what Dave meant.

"If that bullet had been aimed at someone else at this party, at one of them for instance…" here he pointed at Jenkins and Stevens "…would you have stepped in front of it for them?"

"Uh…"

"You would have, wouldn't you? You're either insane or you have a death wish!" John stiffened at the turn of phrase. It wasn't the first time someone had accused him of that, one of the most recent being on Atlantis in a forced session with the late Dr. Heightmeyer. He'd finally been able to convince her he wanted to live but was willing to lay down his life for the lives of others. Even going so far as to give her the Vulcan salute and channel Charles Dickens, by way of Spock, as he intoned 'the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few.' Turned out she'd been a closet trekkie and had instantly understood exactly what he'd being trying to get at. She'd made a note in his file and never asked him that again.

"Mr. Sheppard!" Jenkins stepped in. He'd met Colonel Sheppard at the small ceremony yesterday and the two had hit it off right away, bonding over their mutual love of college football and anything that went fast. In fact, the Colonel had promised him a ride in a fighter jet the next time he was in town. "Your brother is a hero. And, I think I speak for the rest of us, we all would have done the same for him."

"You're all nuts." Dave was coming down off his adrenaline rush and was starting to feel a little sick. He took a look at his watch and was stunned to see only a few minutes had passed. He looked at his brother who was staring back at him with a blank face and suddenly a rush of pride took the place of his fear. He reached out and touched John on the arm. "I never understood. I may never understand. But, you really are a hero, aren't you?"

"No, Dave, I'm not. I'm a soldier. One of many. A lot of good men have died over the years, defending our country, defending innocent people. They're the heroes."

"You never could stand being the center of attention…unless, of course, the someone paying attention was of the female persuasion." Dave tried to make a small joke as he got his feet back under him. His world had shifted a little and he wasn't sure he liked his new understanding of his brother's place in it.

"Well, a pretty girl's attention is always welcome." John smiled with a faraway look on his face and Dave realized he was thinking of the woman, Teyla, he'd told him about.

He smiled back, a little tremulously and blinked, suddenly he was very tired and surprised to be feeling that way after the excitement of the past few minutes, not recognizing an adrenaline crash. That was John's specialty. He looked around the room, realized they were the only ones left and that the place was a shambles. For a moment he was fascinated by an overturned vase on one of the many tables that had dotted the venue, watching as it slowly rolled towards the edge and, most likely, it's imminent demise. Tearing his eyes away, he looked upwards. Two of the Secret Service were still up on the balcony, guarding their prisoner while waiting for an ambulance. He could hear the sirens approaching. The rest were still guarding the President. Holy crap, he'd just had a front row seat to an attempted assassination of the President of the United States and his brother, _his_ little brother, had saved the man's life! He wondered what kind of medal he'd get for _that_. He looked at Hayes, frowned and pointed at him. "Are you sure he's not hurt?"

Hayes looked down at himself, having forgotten the blood stain while watching the interactions of the two totally disparate brothers. He checked again and shook his head. "No, I'm not hurt."

"Well, it had to come from…somewhere. John?" Dave turned to look at his brother, who put his left hand inside his jacket and pressed it up against his right side, where his wound was starting to clamor for attention now that the danger had passed. He pulled it out and looked at the bright red blood staining his palm.

"Huh, I forgot." He said as Jenkins frowned and started to move in, Stevens right on his heels.

"You forgot? You FORGOT!? John, you've been _shot_!"

"Not exactly the first time, Dave." John said wearily. Dave's mouth opened and closed as he tried to formulate a response to that. He watched in horror as John's eyes rolled up in to his head and his legs began to crumple as the two SS agents grabbed him before he hit the floor.

Jenkins pulled the tux jacket up and yanked the shirt out of the pants, buttons popping and sounding preternaturally loud as they bounced off the marble floor. Dave swallowed bile as he saw the raw looking hole in his brother's right side.

"Let's roll him on his left side, check for an exit wound." Jenkins said to Stevens and they gently rolled him. Stevens lifted the back of the jacket and then shook his head.

"Damn it." Jenkins swore.

"What? What does that mean?" Dave asked frantically.

"It's not a through and through. That means the bullet is still inside. We need to get him to a hospital as soon as possible. How many ambulances were requested?"

"A minimum of four is the standing order when an attempt is made on the President, they were all ready and waiting." Stevens replied. This had been his responsibility for tonight's event and he was glad he'd done his normal meticulous follow through.

"Good. Now, I need to see if I can stop the bleeding." Jenkins pulled off his jacket, wadded it up and pressed it against the wound, eliciting a moan from the unconscious man. "Hang in there John." He pressed a little harder. Looking up, he said. "When the ambulances get here, make sure that Sheppard is their first priority. The prisoner is their second. Anyone else can just wait."

"Got it." Stevens stood and looked down at the man he'd been so hard on. He shrugged off his own jacket, folded it and leaned down to gently place it under the Colonel's head before turning away to jog towards the door. He disappeared through it only to appear a little more than a minute later with two EMT crews. He pointed up the stairs and one team split off, heading towards the prisoner. The other he led to the group as Jenkins stood up and let them take his place. The crew took over efficiently and Jenkins motioned to Stevens.

"Any trouble?"

"Not if you don't count the rich bitch who was insisting they wait on her first because she broke a nail."

Jenkins snorted. "What did you do?"

"Pulled my gun and asked her if she'd like to really need an EMT."

"You did _what_?"

"Well, maybe I didn't quite do that, but I made my intentions clear."

"Let's just hope she doesn't decide to make a literal federal case out of that."

"Well, a couple people were taking video and taped me telling the EMT crew that there were two seriously wounded men inside and we needed them to hustle. She insisted she was first and when I _politely_ told her she didn't appear to be seriously injured while the others were, she asked me if I knew who she was. When I said no, and that I really didn't care, she started to make a scene and about twenty cell phones pointed her way. She shut up pretty quickly."

"Gotta love social media." Jenkins chuckled tiredly. "Look, we need to get the President out of here _now_. Check to make sure the backup route is still viable."

"Yes sir." Stevens trotted off once again.

Jenkins turned to the others standing protectively around Hayes. "Be ready to move out."

Hayes moved up to Dave's side and put a hand on his shoulder. "Your brother really is a hero, no matter what he says. He just saved my life, but I know it wouldn't have mattered to him whether I was the President of the U.S. or a stranger on the street. He's the kind of man who wouldn't just stand back and do nothing. I wish we had more like him." Dave tried to smile, but his eyes kept drifting back to his brother lying so still and pale on the floor as the EMT's worked on him. "Mr. Sheppard, if you ever have need of me, please let me know. I'll forever be in your family's debt."

Dave finally smiled. "Somehow, I don't think John would see it that way."

"No, no, I don't suppose he would."

Stevens appeared from nowhere and nodded. The SS team surrounded the President and Jenkins looked at Dave. "We need to leave now, but please, keep me apprised of John's status. I'll try to stop by the hospital later." He offered a business card and Dave automatically took it. "Your brother is a good man, Mr. Sheppard."

"Dave, my name is Dave."

"Barry." They shook hands and then Jenkins moved away as the agents whisked Hayes out the back entrance to the waiting limo.

Dave turned to find the EMTs had lifted John onto a gurney and were now strapping him in. He joined them and was instantly grilled on his relationship to their patient. Upon hearing that they were brothers, they began to ask more in-depth questions. Once they got past blood type and the fact that he was in the military, he realized the information he had on John was woefully thin. Something he planned to fix as soon as possible. They made their way through the crowds to the ambulance and the gurney was lifted in, John never moving once. The doors were slammed behind them, someone pounded on them and the ambulance lurched away, the siren a background to the pounding of his heart as he realized he could still lose his brother this night.

~,~,~,~,~


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Dave sat by his brother's bed in the hospital and watched the monitors that indicated how he was doing. The surgeon who'd operated on him, had filled him in. The bullet had been removed and hadn't done too much damage, just nicking the right kidney, leading to internal bleeding. It had been repaired and the prognosis was good, although he had lost a lot of blood. He leaned forward and put his head in his hands. How did a night raising funds for a charity end up with him sitting by his brother's hospital bed at…he checked his watch…three o'clock in the morning? Staring at the floor, he missed the signs that John was waking up. However, a disturbance at the door got his attention. The Secret Service had placed a guard at John's door. Dave wasn't sure if it was because his brother was in danger, that they suspected he was involved somehow or just to let him know that they appreciated his actions.

"Ye need tae let me in right noo! I need tae see the Colonel!" The Scottish accent caught him by surprise, turning his attention to the door, missing the smile that now curved John's lips. A strange whine followed, there were several no's shouted and then another voice was heard.

"He's Sheppard's personal physician, that's why!" The voice was strident, and the door opened, allowing five people to spill into the room. Dave was confused, John had a personal physician? The five completely ignored him, moving to the bedside. The exotically beautiful woman with them seemed to only have eyes for John, her sharp eyes taking in the lines of pain around his eyes.

The strident voice was more subdued. "Huh, he doesn't look as bad as he usually does."

"Rodney!" The Scottish voice chided the strident one.

"Well, am I wrong?"

Dr. Carson Beckett moved towards the bed, picking up John's wrist in his hand and checking the pulse. He scanned the monitors and noted that everything appeared good. Laying the hand back down, he patted the back of it and then noticed the man sitting at the side of the bed staring at him. Dave blinked and looked at the odd group that had just barged in, realizing he recognized one of them. The big man with the dreads had accompanied John to the wake. He stood up and reached out his hand. "Ronon Dex, right?"

Ronon stared at it and then looked at the man who purported to be John's doctor. He inclined his head and Ronon took his hand, gripping it tightly. "Yeah."

Dave looked at Carson. "You're my brother's personal physician?"

A croaky voice sounded from the bed. "Yeah. Me and about 200 other people." All eyes turned to the bed to find the hazel eyes slitted open.

"Well, ye are me most frequent patient." Carson admonished.

"And, they wouldn't let us in any other way." Rodney said.

"Good to see you Rodney. Did I hear Ronon's gun?"

"Of course! Conan here wanted to shoot his way in to see you! Why can't we leave you alone for less than forty-eight hours without you getting into trouble?!" He replied.

John smiled and then his eyes met Teyla's and he ignored everyone else. "Teyla?"

"John, I am so relieved to see you are doing so well." She leaned down and placed her forehead against his. Raising her head a little, she hesitantly placed her lips against his. His left hand lifted and buried in her hair, pulling her closer. Carson, Evan and Ronon smiled but Rodney cleared his throat, a little uncomfortable with the public display of affection between his two teammates, conveniently forgetting his own with Jennifer. The two pulled apart but Teyla picked up his hand and held on tightly. While she didn't agree with Rodney out loud, she did worry when he was out of their sight as it usually ended up with him in this exact situation.

"Dave, these are my friends and teammates. Teyla, Rodney, Carson, Evan, this is my brother, Dave. Ronon, you've already met." He waved a hand towards the man standing open mouthed, staring at them.

Carson smiled broadly and held out his hand. "I'm Dr. Carson Beckett. Good tae meet ye, son! Just sorry about the circumstances. Our Colonel certainly likes tae keep us on our toes!" Dave shook it and Carson took over the formal introductions, starting with Lorne.

"This is Major Evan Lorne, John's XO." Evan stuck out his hand and Dave shook it.

"Mr. Sheppard." Lorne was studying the man in front of him, trying to find a resemblance to his CO and friend, failing to find any.

"It appears ye've already met Ronon. This is Dr. Rodney McKay." Rodney put out his hand as well.

"How many doctors does John have?" Dave asked bewilderedly.

Rodney snorted. "I'm an astrophysicist, not a voodoo practitioner!"

Carson merely sighed, well familiar with his friend's opinion of the medical profession, at least until he needed them. "And last, but definitely not least, this wee lass is Teyla Emmagen."

Dave's eyebrows went up when he recognized the unusual name. He turned on his famous charm and took her hand, raising it to his lips. "John has told me much about you, lovely lady."

A snort sounded from the bed. "Back off Dave, she's already taken."

Dave winked at her. "A little competition never hurt anyone, John." He said, not looking at his brother.

"Yeah? Think Christina would agree with that pearl of wisdom?"

"I told you, we broke up."

"Right. For how long this time?"

"It's really none of your business, John." Carson started to chuckle, and two sets of eyes instantly turned his way.

"Makes me miss me home, listening to ye two brothers squabble."

Dave drew himself up to his full height. "We were not _squabbling_!"

"Aye, ye certainly were. I should know. I squabbled with me brothers and sisters growing up and I have to listen to these three…" here Carson pointed to Rodney, Ronon and John. "…on pretty much a daily basis."

"We do _not_ squabble, Carson!" Rodney's voice was high pitched with indignation.

"Whatever ye say, Rodney."

"What time is it and how did you guys find out what happened?" John interrupted what was sure to be another _squabble_ , this time between the two friends, as his mind finally started to clear up from the drugs and he took better stock of his situation.

Rodney looked at his watch. "It's 3:30, in the morning, that's what time it is! An ungodly hour when we should all be sound asleep in our beds, not rushing to your bedside once again! Lorne, Radek, Carson and I had just gotten back from a long, tiring mission off wor…base, when Woolsey got the call from St…command that you'd been injured. We turned around and headed out immediately with Ronon and Teyla in tow. Radek wanted to come as well but agreed to stay behind to handle the debrief. What the hell happened this time? What did you do?"

Dave got in his face. "He took a bullet meant for the President, that's what he did!" He wasn't happy with the rotund scientist.

"Oh. Well…that probably explains the guard outside." Rodney responded more quietly. Dave opened his mouth to retort when John huffed out a laugh, immediately followed by a groan as the movement hurt.

Carson instantly went into doctor mode and had just turned back to his bedridden friend as the door opened again and Barry Jenkins stuck his head in.

"Oh, sorry John. I didn't realize you had company." John recognized it for the blatant lie it was, sure his man stationed outside had filled him in on the current situation, but he played along, curious what had brought the SS agent to his room so early in the morning. He was starting to be relieved that he was in a private room as it was beginning to be standing room only.

"No worries, Barry. Come on in, join the crowd. Everyone, introduce yourselves." He was too tired to perform the honors. Everyone complied and then looked at Jenkins expectantly.

He cleared his throat and said. "Look, I hate to do this, but could everyone go out and come back later? What I wanted to talk to John about is a matter of national security."

John grinned at him. "Barry, everyone in here, with the exception of Dave, has higher security clearance than most, if not all, of the Secret Service. And, seeing as Dave was present for the…incident…and probably heard more that he should have, I think we can let him stay as well."

"I'm not sure that would be appropriate." Behind him, Rodney was furiously dialing on his SGC provided cellphone.

"Walter? It's McKay, put the General on." He paused and listened for a second.

"I don't _care_ which _one_! Either one will do!" This time there was a longer wait while McKay tapped his foot impatiently.

Finally, he spoke again. "O'Neill, good, glad it's you. Can you please tell the Secret Service that we all have security clearance to hear anything he might have to say? That it's more likely he'd need to leave the room for any discussions _we_ might have?"

Silence. "Well, of _course_ we're with Sheppard! Where _else_ would we be?"

Pause. "Good. Oh, Sheppard's brother Dave is here as well, John wants him to stay. Can we get him clearance?"

He held the phone away from his ear and the others could hear a loud voice squawking through the speaker, just not what was being said. When it petered out, McKay put the phone back to his ear. "Is that a yes?"

After a second, he smiled smugly and held the phone out to Barry. "It's for you."

He took the phone and said. "Senior SS Agent Barry Jenkins here, who am I speaking with?"

A smile crossed his lips. "Nice to talk to you again, Jack. How've you been?" He enjoyed the look of shock on everyone's face. The President funded the Stargate Program and, as the senior agent in charge of the man's security, where the President went, so did he. That included the secret SGC complex under Cheyenne Mountain. He was well aware of the work they did there. He raised an eyebrow as he listened to what was O'Neill was saying.

"I've only been here a matter of minutes and I can't agree with you more." McKay's eyes narrowed as he was pretty sure that comment had something to do with him.

"I've had better days. Do I have your authorization to discuss our findings with everyone in the room?"

"McKay, a Dr. Carson Beckett, Ronon Dex, Teyla Emmagen, Major Evan Lorne and, of course, John's brother, Dave."

He listened for a minute and then nodded. "Very well then, I'll let Mr. Sheppard know you're couriering over the confidentiality agreement. When can we expect it to be here?"

There was a knock at the door. McKay, being closest, opened it. The man on the other side walked confidently into the room and asked. "Mr. David Sheppard?"

"I'm David Sheppard."

The man nodded, opened his briefcase and handed him a document. "My name is Harry Summers. You need to read this and sign it. Understand that by signing, you agree that you will not discuss anything you hear in this room with anyone or you _will_ be charged with treason."

"Treason? And how did you get here so quickly?" Dave was stunned, both at how quickly the man had gotten here and the threat implied.

"Yes, treason. As to how I got here so quickly, we read the report on the incident and realized that you had already been privy to more information than you should have, requiring the agreement. We had it drawn up immediately and I was already on my way here when I got the call from command." Dave opened his mouth to ask how they knew he was here and closed it again as he remembered the agent stationed outside. Summers continued. "Also, everyone in this room needs to know that this is not carte blanche to let Mr. Sheppard know everything. It merely pertains to the situation at hand." The others nodded as Barry let O'Neill know the courier had arrived and hung up. They let Dave take his time reading it. At one point he was frowning so fiercely, John almost teased him about it, until his brother looked at him in consternation.

"John, I've had to sign confidentiality agreements many times while doing business; but I've never seen anything like this."

John nodded. "This isn't a merger or hostile takeover of a company, Dave, this is national security. Not just for the U.S. but for other countries. You break that confidentiality, a deal doesn't fall through, people could die. So, do not take it lightly. If you don't want to sign, we'll all understand, and you can come back when we're done. We just thought you might like to hear this."

Dave didn't reply and appeared lost in thought. Finally, he nodded and held out his hand for the pen in the courier's hand. He took it and signed his name. Summers signed as a witness and put the document back in his briefcase. "You're good to go gentleman." He turned and left the room without another word.

"Well, now that that little pleasantry is over, can we please get on with the matter at hand?" Rodney asked in exasperation. John went to answer and yawned instead.

Carson immediately checked the monitors and laid a hand against his friend's forehead. John batted it away. "I'm tired, Carson, not sick."

"Ye bloody well are sick, ye daft bugger! Ye just had a bullet surgically removed and damage to yer kidney repaired."

John sank down in the bed a little and blinked innocently up at the man who'd saved his life more than once. "Sorry, Carson. You know what I meant."

He sighed. "Aye, laddie, I do. Just try not tae overdo it this time."

"Never." Several snorts sounded around the room and Dave looked at his brother's team while John glared at them. The expressions on their faces might be exasperation, but there was affection there as well and he felt a little jealous. Barry just shook his head. From what he'd seen of Sheppard during the incident last night, it wasn't a stretch to imagine that they'd all been through this with him before.

"Alright, down to the situation at hand. You were right, John. It was the Trust."

"Shooter still alive?"

"He is. Turned out his wounds weren't as bad as we first thought. He's alive and talking."

"Really, he talked?"

"Well, we might have left T'ealc alone with him in his hospital room for a few minutes."

John laughed and grimaced. "You guys really need to stop making me laugh. Anyway, I read a report about another Trust operative T'ealc interrogated. I believe the man started talking within minutes?" He'd read the report on Vala Maldoran's abduction and her subsequent memory loss with fascination, especially Sam's recounting of finding Cam without his pants, again. Her exact words.

Barry smiled. "Yeah, actually, I believe it was far less than that and he got the same results this time."

John thought for a minute. "How did he get the gun inside?" He remembered the metal detectors they'd all had to go through to enter the venue, remembered wondering why. The President's appearance explained that in hindsight.

Barry sighed. "It was already inside and waiting for him. He just had to pick it up."

"The Secret Service didn't do a sweep before the event?" He was surprised, he knew they were meticulous.

"We did and found nothing. Turns out it was hidden in a safe in one of the offices."

"So, he had inside help?" Lorne asked.

"Yeah, one of the directors actually."

"So, what are we talking about? A Trust cell operating here?" Asked John.

"There was."

"Was?"

"He gave up his contact's name, but he didn't know anyone else. That's how these people operate, they only know a few of the those involved so they can't give everyone up if they get caught. Somehow the word got out. The director was dead when we breached his home. Reports have come in that several other people associated with him have also turned up dead."

"Do you think there was there a leak, or was it just the fact that the shooter failed that triggered the clean up?" Dave looked slightly revolted at the thought that these men considered the deaths in such a way and wondered again about his brother's line of work.

"We're not sure. We can't find any evidence of a leak, at least not yet."

John searched his face. "You don't think that's all of them, do you?"

"No. The Trust…they've infiltrated so many businesses, I don't think we'll ever truly be free of them."

"You'll keep looking?"

"Of course, and I'll try to get word to you on any developments."

"I'd appreciate that."

Barry was tired. It had been a long day and they'd almost lost the President on his watch. The only reason they hadn't, was the man lying in the bed before him. "John, I don't know how to thank you for what you did."

John held up his hand to stop him. "I did what you would have done, what any of your men or mine would have. It's done, he's safe and I'm good." He yawned again, feeling his eyelids getting heavy.

Carson watched and knew the signs. Sheppard was fighting it, but his body wanted sleep to heal and recover. He stood up. "Well, I think that's enough for tonight. Lt. Colonel Sheppard needs his rest." He deliberately used his friend's full title.

John smiled and raised an eyebrow. "Actually Carson, it's Colonel, not Lt. Colonel. Not as of…" He'd lost track of time. "…a couple days ago."

"Full bird sir?" Lorne asked.

"Hard to believe, isn't it?" John grinned at him.

"No, sir, it isn't. Not hard at all!" Lorne returned the grin and held out his hand. "Well deserved, John. Congratulations!"

John took it and shook. "You know what this means?"

"That Colonel's Caldwell and Ellis no longer outrank you?"

"You're a smart man, Evan. That's why I like having you as my 2IC." Both laughed.

Interrupting, Rodney asked. "Why the hell weren't we there?" He was feeling miffed that they'd been left out. John just shrugged carefully but Barry wasn't going to let it go.

"The President wanted to be the one who presented John with his silver eagles, along with several other medals, including the Congressional Medal of Honor and a couple of Purple Hearts. He has a very tight schedule and the only day he could do it was the day before yesterday."

"Rodney, I didn't find out why I was there until I'd already checked in at Cheyenne Mountain. You, Radek, Carson and Lorne were off base. Teyla and Ronon are…foreign nationals, security wouldn't allow it. It wasn't like I could ask them to postpone it."

Rodney opened his mouth to ask why not when Lorne nudged him in the side. He realized berating John about the perceived slight handed to him and his team by the President of the United States, was not important right now, nor particularly wise. "Right, okay, well… _Colonel_ …congratulations."

"Thanks Rodney."

More congratulations were said as Carson gently herded everyone out. Barry paused at the door. "You still owe me that fighter jet excursion, John."

"Actually, now that I know what you know, I might be able to do a bit better." He wondered how Barry would feel about an F-302 jaunt around the planet. When the man's eyes lit up, he had his answer.

"That would be…spectacular. I'll keep in touch."

"See that you do." He liked the man and already considered him a friend.

Eventually, everyone was gone except Carson, Dave and Teyla. Carson puttered around the room while Dave and Teyla got to know each other, John watching the two of them carefully, when he could keep his eyes open. During a lull in the conversation, Teyla realized the hand holding hers had gone lax. She searched his face and was glad to see the pain lines around his eyes had relaxed in sleep. She reached out her free hand and gently pushed an errant lock of hair off his forehead. When it promptly fell right back in place, she smiled. How many times had she tried to do that, only to fail? His hair was legendary on the base.

"You really care for him, don't you?" Dave asked.

"I love him." Was her simple reply.

"I'm glad. He needs someone with a good head on her shoulders in his life. Actually, from what I've seen, it sounds like he needs a keeper."

"A keeper?"

"Someone to keep him in line, keep him from getting hurt."

She smiled but shook her head. "John is everyone else's keeper. He would not be the man I love if he was not."

"I never realized what it is that he does. I always imagined him off flitting around in one of his beloved planes, having no cares, no responsibilities."

"John has many responsibilities. As the Military Commander of our base, he's responsible for not only the safety of the armed forces of several countries who are under his command but also a sizeable civilian contingent that includes Teyla, Ronon and meself." Carson said quietly. "Our John takes that responsibility very seriously. He's saved all our lives more than once and has been under me care more times than I'd like tae remember because of _just_ how seriously." He wasn't overly happy with his friend's brother's characterization and let his irritation be known.

Dave smiled. "I get that now. I've had to revise my opinion of him over the last two days and I find I like what I see. I'll worry about him more now, but he's become someone I'm very proud to call my brother." He paused and added softly. "I think our father would have been proud too, if he could only have seen beyond his own ambitions for John."

"Aye, laddie, I would hope so. Anyone would be proud tae have him as a son." They smiled at each other and there was silence for a moment. Finally, Dave dared to ask a question he'd been bothered by.

"What exactly is this Trust that Jenkins and John talked about?"

Carson washed his hands together, not sure how much he was able to tell the man. "Let's just say it's an international terrorist organization that wants tae overthrow the governments of most countries and take over the whole world for themselves." He had to stop himself from calling them interplanetary. "They don't agree with the way we do things and think their way is the better way tae protect us from outside enemies. Unlike organizations like the Taliban or Isis, they work in the shadows, looking for an opportunity tae quietly further their own plans for domination. Like other terrorist organizations, they care little for the loss of innocent lives that might come aboot from their actions." He had a suspicion that the President was too heavily guarded, including usage of ancient and alien technology. They must have been desperate to get rid of him to go about it this way. Perhaps this was a good sign. He'd done some deep research on the Trust after finding out Colonel Caldwell had been infected with a Goa'uld by them. What he'd found, he hadn't liked.

"Truthfully, I'm a bit surprised they tried tae assassinate the President in public like that. It's not usually their way. Tae find oot he'd died of an unexpected heart attack would have been more their speed."

"Do you think John is in any danger from them?" His question made Teyla's hand tighten on John's and he muttered a little in his sleep. She instantly reached out and soothed him by running a hand across his brow and down his cheek, wondering what he might be overhearing in his sleep. He turned his face into her palm and quieted.

Carson sighed. "Aye, son, I think John could definitely be on their radar, at least noo. His new rank and his interference in several of their plans over the years, would be an irritant." He reached out and patted Dave's arm. "Ye're not to worry though. There's nary a soul on Atl….base, that would allow any harm tae come tae John. He's the heart of our little expedition."

The three remaining in the room watched the man in the bed sleep, each lost in their own thoughts. It had been quiet for a while when Dave said. "You know, I think I quite like this Colonel John Sheppard of yours."

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	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

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John pretended to study the chess board in front of him when he, in reality, was studying his opponent. The scientist was frowning as he undoubtedly ran each move he could make, along with John's counter move to it, through his head, to its ultimate conclusion. John knew that Rodney was already beat, he was just waiting for his friend to come to grips with it. There was no move the other man could make that didn't end up with him in checkmate, whether it be in two moves or five. John knew he'd finally realized it when he sighed and tipped over his king, conceding the game.

"Best three out of five?" John teased. He was surprised when Rodney didn't respond with a snarky remark seeing as they'd only played one game so far. When the silence stretched, he asked. "Rodney?"

Without looking up, Rodney responded quietly. "You need to stop doing that, you know?"

He did, but he was going to try his damndest to deflect. "What? Win at chess? You know I'm trained in military strategy, don't you? And this isn't exactly the first time you've lost to me."

Rodney lifted his head and John was stunned at the haunted look on his face. "Don't do that."

"Don't do what?" He couldn't help it, he'd been doing it most of his life. Deflect and protect.

Outside the room, Dave Sheppard stopped and waited to hear how the conversation went. The SS agent at the door looked at him askance but apparently didn't feel it was his place to comment on the fact that his charge's brother was eavesdropping. Dave blushed a little but desperately wanted to find out more about his little brother and thought this was a golden opportunity. If it turned too personal or was something he shouldn't be privy to, he'd make his presence known or walk away.

"You need to stop thinking everyone's life is more important than yours!" Rodney's response was loud and strident. "You got shot! You could have been killed!"

"He's our President, Rodney." John replied quietly.

"You know damn well that had nothing to do with it! You and your damn hero complex! Why can't you understand that we need you on Atl…base? Besides, now that you and Teyla are together, Jennifer and I figured we could double date! Ronon and Amelia only want to talk about fighting and Radek and Miko are still in denial. And you know how I feel about Carson dating Cadman, I still have nightmares about that unfortunate incident. You're it!"

"I don't have a hero complex, I just have responsibilities as Military Commander and sometimes those responsibilities mean I get in the way of bullets." John responded quietly.

"Oh please, flying a nuke into a hive…enemy ship? Iratus bug? Retrovirus? Kolya and Todd? VR world on the Aurora? Trapped in a collapsed building with a piece of rebar stuck in your side and then going out to rescue Teyla without getting it fixed? Flying into the side of a building to help Jennifer and getting impaled, _again_? Immediately after needing resuscitation from the effects of an untested drug therapy? Kidnapped by a pirate and beaten for information? Even if she _was_ hot? Any of those ring a bell or do I need to go on?"

"Rodney, most of those were not my fault! Wrong place, wrong time! There's no way I could have known what would happen in most of those situations!"

"But if you had, I have no doubt that you'd have gone anyway!"

"If it meant protecting our home? You, Teyla, Ronon? _Torren_? You're right, I would have gone even knowing what was in store for me. But not all of them! I would have preferred to avoid Kolya and Todd, not to mention the entire Genii people, for the rest of my life, thank you very much. Now Larrin? _That_ was not so bad."

"You'd better not let Teyla hear you say that!"

The two men stared at each other and then John snorted, causing Rodney's lip to quiver and just like that it was over as they both dissolved into laughter.

Dave decided now was as good a time as ever to make his way into the room. He raised his hand to knock, watching the guard out of the corner of his eye. When John called out to enter, he hesitated. Whispering, he tried to justify his actions to the man, not sure why he felt the need to. "I know so little about my brother." The man tilted his head at him and then gave him a small nod, going back to watching the hallway for danger as Dave went in.

"Hey Dave. What's up?" John asked.

"Nothing. Just came by to see how you were doing." He'd gone to the office but hadn't been able to concentrate as thoughts of the things he'd learned earlier ran through his mind. Things his brother was involved in that sounded so dangerous. Things he'd learned about his brother's life. He'd found himself heading back to the hospital after cancelling the rest of his meetings for the day. "Dr. McKay, nice to see you again." He held out his hand and they shook. He still wasn't sure how he felt about the man. He seemed egotistical and not the kind of man his brother would tolerate, let alone be friends with. Yet, what he'd overheard made him realize the man cared about his brother, a lot, and that was good enough for him.

"Um, yeah, nice to see you too." For his part, Rodney wasn't sure he cared all that much for the brother. He'd heard from Ronon about how the other man had treated John at their father's wake. The fact that no one had even known John had a brother or that his father had still been alive when he'd decided to step through the stargate on a probable one-way trip, spoke volumes to him. Still, they'd found him sitting at John's bedside, watching over him, so maybe he'd give him a chance. If he stepped out of line though, he'd have no compunction about siccing Ronon, or maybe Teyla, on him.

There was an awkward silence and John rolled his eyes. "Dave, sit down. Rodney, put the game away, we can play again later." Both men were moving to obey the orders without thinking about it, both stopping at the same time as the realization hit. They looked at each other with open mouths and then at John, who grinned back. They all started laughing and the awkwardness dissipated, conversation naturally leading back to the events of the night before.

"Oh, by the way, they said an unknown guest had saved the president with quick thinking. No mention of you getting shot or being the one who took down the assassin!" He was somewhat incensed by that on behalf of his brother. John had put his life on the line, had taken a bullet for the leader of their country, and the best they could do was _unknown guest_?

"Good! Glad Barry and the SGC could get ahead of that." John was relieved.

"Why shouldn't you get the credit?" Dave didn't understand.

"Dave, I didn't do it for the credit, I did it because it needed to be done. The last thing I need is to have the media camped outside the hospital and digging into my past or my present. Something like that happens? I'd probably wouldn't be allowed to go back to base, maybe even not allowed to keep my commission."

"Would that be so bad?"

"Yes!" Came from both men, although for somewhat different reasons. Dave blinked and then sighed.

"Okay, I get it. Top secret work, stay out of the spotlight, stay off the news. I at least hope they give you a medal for this!"

Rodney snorted. "Like he needs another one! He's practically running out of space on his dress uniform as it is!"

Another voice spoke from behind him. "Jealous McKay?" Ronon walked into the room with Teyla. He obviously had something hidden behind his back and John watched him warily.

"What? No, of course not! I'm just stating a fact!" And he wasn't jealous, not really. All those medals? Each one had a story behind them that had almost cost his friend his life, both before and after they'd met. He also knew they meant little to John. Nothing he'd ever done, had had a medal as the end goal. Ronon grinned and slapped his friend on the back. He then pulled a balloon with Get Well written on it and tied it to the bottom of John's bed. John glared at him and Ronon just smiled back. Teyla just rolled her eyes and made her way to the bed, carefully looking John over, searching for any telltale signs that he was in pain or in trouble. Satisfied that all looked well, she leaned down to touch her forehead to his and then moved on to his lips, giving him a quick kiss and skipping back before he could react. She saw the disappointment in his eyes and it thrilled her a little to know she was the reason for it.

"Torren sends his love."

John lit up. "How's he doing? Is he okay?" She loved the concern in his voice. There were times, more than she'd care to admit, that she wished John was Torren's father. Kanaan had been fine when he was a baby but didn't seem to know what to do with him as he started to become a person. Instead of trying, he'd drawn away, leaving John to fill the void. She supposed she should have done something to stop it but had been happy that the two had bonded the way they had.

"He is fine. Amelia says he is being the perfect little house guest." She smiled down at him and both were still for a moment until Rodney snorted.

"Will you two _stop_ doing that? Hello? Still in the room over here." They all laughed quietly and Teyla blushed. She sat in one of the empty chairs and conversation once again turned to the events of the night before. That the Trust would so brazenly attack the President was a topic of concern. As Carson had said early that morning, they generally worked in the shadows and not out in the open like that. They discussed how protected the man was, without discussing alien technology as Dave didn't have clearance for that kind of information.

"So, why do you think they want Hayes out of the way so bad?" Rodney finally asked.

"I don't know but I do know I don't like it. Neither does Barry or the rest of the Secret Service. He's digging into anything the President is working on, to see if there's something that might hurt their cause. He'll let us know if he finds anything. In the meantime, security around him is even tighter. I don't think they'll get another chance, at least not for a long while." John answered, frowning.

"John, you're injured and not involved in this! Let the Secret Service figure it out! It's not your problem." Dave was already worried that his brother was now a target and didn't want him to stick his nose in where it didn't belong, thereby bringing more attention to him.

"That's where you're wrong, Dave." John answered quietly. "It's everyone's problem. The Trust wants to impose their way of thinking on the whole world. They spout words about protecting our world, but it's really all about power." He knew the Goa'uld were involved with them, thanks to the one who'd taken up residence in Colonel Caldwell, almost getting away with blowing up Atlantis. The humans involved were greedy and allowed themselves to be used by a race that enslaved others. "Nothing they do is for the good of anyone but themselves."

Dave opened his mouth to argue but recognized the look on his brother's face. He wouldn't get anywhere. All he could do was keep an eye open and on him. Instead, he asked. "How did they get so powerful anyway? And why aren't they all over the news, like any other terrorist organization?"

Rodney answered. "They have very rich and powerful allies. Greedy men who don't care for the greater good, only the bottom line. Some of these people own technology companies, drug companies, media companies, etc. What they use is cutting edge and untraceable. They stay under the radar and anyone who gets close enough to write about it, disappears, never to be heard from again. That's why last night's events are so disturbing." He stuck with the party line, not able to discuss alien intervention and technology on their world.

John decided it was time to talk about something else when Rodney's stomach grumbled. "McKay?"

"What?"

"When was the last time you ate?"

"I don't know, a while ago. Things happening, you know!"

"I do know. I also know you're hypoglycemic and need to eat regular meals. After all, you tell us about it all the time!"

"I do not!"

Ronon snorted and Teyla intervened, as she often did. "Perhaps it would be a good idea to find the cafeteria and get something to eat." She stood up and looked at Dave. "Would you care to join us?"

He looked at John who ruefully shook his head. "I'll be lucky to get some broth and a small piece of bread. Why don't you go with them?" He faked a yawn. "I think I might take a nap anyway."

Four concerned pairs of eyes swiveled to him. "John, are you alright?" Asked Teyla.

"Sheppard?" Ronon and McKay said at the same time.

Dave reached out and put the back of his hand against John's forehead and then cheek, ignoring the eyebrows that crawled up into his brother's hairline. "You feel cool, no apparent fever."

"Thank you, Dr. Sheppard! Look, I'm fine. The meds just make me sleepy, that's all." John hated when people hovered over him. "Just go and get some lunch! I'll be here when you get back."

Teyla bit her lip, not wanting to leave him alone but she hadn't eaten before leaving the hotel after a restless sleep, tossing and turning as nightmares of him dying alone had invaded her dreams. They'd all left about 6 that morning, agreeing that they needed rest, as did John. Ronon had wanted to stay but John had convinced him the SS agent outside would protect him and he'd reluctantly left with the others, heading to the hotel that the SGC had booked them rooms in. None had thought about food as they headed back mere hours later and now she, too, was hungry. The group finally agreed to go, stating they'd be back in a half hour or less. As she left the room, she looked back one last time to see him close his eyes and wiggle, trying to get comfortable in the hospital bed. A wrong move sent a wave of pain across his face and she almost turned back. The moment passed, and she followed the others, taking a second to thank the agent guarding him. The man had smiled and said it was his honor. It made her feel a little better as she hurried to catch up with her friends.

~,~,~,~,~

Caleb Anderson pushed the empty wheelchair down the corridor, whistling a little, and stopped in front of Colonel Sheppard's door. He made a point of checking his clipboard against the room number and nodded. He held out his lanyard holding his hospital ID without even being asked. The agent scanned it carefully and then looked at him searchingly. Caleb just smiled in return.

"Where are you taking him?" Agent O'Brien asked.

"MRI. Doc wants to be sure nothing got missed." He handed over the clipboard with the orders for the test on top. The agent read it thoroughly and then handed it back.

"I'll be going with you."

He'd been expecting this and shrugged. "Sure, whatever. You can help me get him into the chair. Would be nice to have assistance for a change."

O'Brien nodded and opened the door for him. Caleb smiled his thanks and pushed the chair through the door.

"Colonel Sheppard?"

"Yeah."

"Caleb Anderson. I'm an orderly and here to take you down for an MRI."

John frowned. "No one told me."

"They never do! We just show up and take people by surprise. It's very rare for the doctor to fill the patient in. Would you like me to call him?"

"No, that's fine." He threw back the thin blanket covering his legs. "Let's do this. How long is this going to take? I have friends coming back soon." He'd gotten spoiled on Atlantis. It was so much easier to just have someone run the Ancient scanner over him. No wheelchair rides to different floors, to wait your turn and wait, and wait, and wait.

Caleb nodded. "I'll try to make this as quick and painless as possible. I'm sure we'll be back in plenty of time."

Agent O'Brien assisted Caleb in getting the Colonel out of bed. Each one taking a side. Once John was settled, he smiled up at the agent. "Are you coming with us, Mark? If not, now might be a good time to go grab some grub yourself."

"I don't leave your side, sir."

John sighed. "Mark, it's John, not sir. You don't report to me. Hell, half the people who _do_ report to me, don't call me sir."

"Very well, John. Are you ready?"

"As I'll ever be. I just need to leave a note in case I'm not back when they return. They'll worry." Turning to Caleb, he asked. "Do you have a pen and some paper?"

"Sure, here." Caleb pulled a blank form from the bottom of the stack and handed it over, along with a pen. John wrote a quick note explaining where he went and left it on the bed.

Done, he looked up at the orderly and waved a hand. "Lead on McDuff." Caleb pushed the chair out the door and took a left, O'Brien right behind him. They arrived at the elevator and Caleb pushed the down button. The radiology department was on the second floor, three floors below this one. When the doors opened, Caleb pushed the chair inside and turned to push the button for the right floor, selecting the basement. Neither man commented as they were unfamiliar with the layout of the hospital. When the doors opened to the garage, O'Brien immediately stepped in front of John and went to pull his weapon but was hit with a blast from a zat gun, crumpling to the floor.

"Take him and put him in the back of the van." Ordered the man holding the gun, looking around the garage. No one was in sight and they'd disabled the security cameras. Two other men stepped forward and picked the unconscious man up by the arms, dragging him out of the elevator and over to a waiting van, stuffing him in the back.

"You aren't going to kill him?" John asked.

The other man smiled. "I've dealt with men like you before, Colonel Sheppard. A martyr who wouldn't give up a thing, unless someone else's life was at risk. Your body guard will be a valuable asset in that respect. If that doesn't work, then I'm sure one of the people you do care about can be acquired. Your brother, perhaps? The pretty little woman you're shacked up with?" John glared at him, feeling useless in his condition. The man merely smiled back.

Caleb pushed the wheelchair out to the van and one of the other men opened the door and pushed the lever that lowered a ramp. When it was fully down, Caleb pushed him in and anchored the chair, just another patient leaving the hospital if anyone happened by. John looked up at him and spoke quietly. "You know you're a dead man walking, don't you? They'll never let you live."

Caleb just smiled. "I've been a loyal employee for over ten years. I've worked hard and kept my nose clean here at the hospital. They'll never suspect me."

"You could have been seen."

"I wasn't. I was careful and made sure no one was around before I came and got you. I'll just go back to my job like nothing happened and, if I'm questioned when they finally realize you're gone, I'll give them nothing."

"They'll never take the chance that someone didn't see something."

"Can it, Colonel. You can't scare me."

John sighed and shook his head. Caleb just smirked at him and got out of the van. He turned and looked at the man who was obviously the leader, still holding the zat, keeping it down by his side and out of sight. "I'll head back in now. Let me know if you need me for anything else." The man nodded, and Caleb turned away. He was just inside the elevator when he was hit by a blast from the gun. The man moved over and stood over his employee.

"You should have listened to the Colonel, Caleb." With no remorse, he aimed the gun and shot twice more, the body disintegrating with no trace. He turned and looked at the man trapped in the van. "You're a smart man Colonel, imagine that was one of your friends, your brother. I will have no compunction about killing each and everyone of them if I don't get what I want."

"What _do_ you want?"

"Ah, we'll get to that later. For now, please just enjoy the ride." One of his henchmen leaned over and stabbed a needle into his thigh, pushing the plunger.

"Ow! I hope that was clean!" He looked at the leader. "I could get an infect…." He never finished the sentence as he listed to the left, unconscious. The leader smiled and closed the door, moving around to the front and got in the driver's side. He started up the van and drove off.

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Rodney frowned when they came back to the room and the SS agent was missing. He exchanged a look with Ronon and Teyla, making Dave nervous. Ronon reached behind him and pulled out some kind of weapon, a familiar sound came from it, he recognized it from early this morning when these people had first shown up. McKay and Teyla fell in behind him like it was second nature. Teyla pushed Dave behind her. Ronon pushed the door open and stepped in quickly, sweeping the empty room. He powered down his weapon when he saw it was empty.

"He's not here." His voice was angry. Teyla surveyed the room and noticed the paper on the bed. She picked it up and felt relief sweep over her.

"He went for something called an MRI. Agent O'Brien went with him." The tension in the room dissolved and the three each took a seat to wait for John to return, making small talk. Rodney kept watching the door and Ronon watched him, wondering what was making the little man so nervous. After watching him for a little over a half hour, he finally asked.

"What's wrong McKay?"

"What?" Rodney turned to look at him. "Wrong? Nothing, nothing. At least, nothing I can put my finger on. It's just, you know, John."

Dave was confused. "What do you mean, it's just John?"

Teyla stepped in. "John has a tendency to….attract trouble."

"We're in a hospital and he has an armed guard. What could possibly happen to him?"

Ronon smirked at his friend's brother, although McKay's unease had infected him as well. "Sheppard could find trouble in a locked room with only himself for company."

"Ronon, that is not exactly fair." Teyla declared, although she shivered a little. McKay's pessimism had cast a pall over the room. She stood up and began to pace. "John has gotten into quite a few scrapes, but we are no longer on base and in danger from our enemies." She stopped and looked at Dave, who felt like she was asking him for reassurance. "Nothing will happen to him here, surely?"

"Teyla, he's already taken a bullet, lost a lot of blood, had to have surgery and he hasn't even been here for more than a couple days!" Rodney retorted.

"McKay!" Ronon could see that the scientist's words had disturbed her.

"I'm sorry! It's just, you know….I worry…." Ronon did know. Whenever Sheppard, or any of them for that matter, were in the infirmary or in trouble, it was McKay who hovered and worried. For all his arrogance, he was a good friend and a good man to have on your side, something that had taken him a while to learn.

Dave watched the three of them and found himself starting to worry. He didn't have the experience with John that they did and felt that if they were worried, he should be too. Making a decision, he stood up and walked to the phone on the bedside table. Punching in 0 to get the receptionist, he explained that his brother wasn't in his room and they didn't know where he was. He conveniently forgot to mention the note, figuring if John really was just getting an MRI, it wasn't that much of a stretch that he wouldn't have left word behind. He waited impatiently for the woman to search the computer. When she came back and said John should be in his room, his stomach cramped. He thanked her quietly and hung up. The others took one look at his face and knew something was wrong.

"What is it?" McKay asked.

"John wasn't scheduled for any tests. According to hospital records, he should be here, in his room."

"So, what do we do now?" Teyla asked. She wanted to be tracking him down, finding him and keeping him safe, but this was not her world. She didn't know how things worked here.

Dave dug out his wallet and pulled out the card Barry Jenkins had given him. Holding it up, he said. "We call the Secret Service."

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	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

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John woke up abruptly. He opened his eyes and then slammed then shut. The light was too bright, and it hurt! A laugh sounded behind him and he heard footsteps coming his way. The sound of each step was much louder than it should be. A hand touched his arm and it sent vibrations through him. What the hell?

"Interesting sensations. Aren't they, Colonel?" The words echoed in his head and set up a pounding that hadn't been there before.

John slitted his eyes open enough to see the man he recognized as the leader from his abduction. "Who are you?" He whispered, although the words seemed to reverberate around the room.

"Who I am is of no concern to you, Sheppard. What does concern you is that you give me what I need to know." He said loudly, and John winced at the sound. "Does it hurt when I talk? Nice little side effect of the drugs you were given. Not only do they sedate you, the after effects heighten all the senses." He reached out and ran a fingernail down John's cheek and his breath hitched. It felt like the man had just sliced open his face. He struggled and realized for the first time that he was restrained to the bed he was lying on.

"You won't get anything from me!" He said fiercely, tugging on the bands circling his wrists, each pull sending waves of pain through him.

"Oh, I think we will. If the drugs don't convince you, we still have your little bodyguard on ice. I'm sure watching his pain will loosen your tongue. And if that doesn't work? I'm thinking your brother might be the best candidate to take his place. Your brother…well…he's not SGC or even military. How hard do you think they'll work to protect him? Now, let's start with your command codes, including your IDC for the stargate on Atlantis."

John's heart skipped a bit in his chest. This man was pretty well informed and had just threatened his brother. That made him angry. "Okay Neville, do you mind if I call you Neville? Seeing as you won't give me a name?" He didn't hide a smile at the look of distaste that crossed the man's face. "You see, they'll realize I'm gone by now and all my codes will have been inactivated. Even if I were to give them to you, which I won't on principle, they'd be useless to you. That's SOP. Oh, sorry, that's Standard Operating Procedure to you. That means…"

Neville interrupted angrily. "I KNOW what SOP is, Colonel. I'm not an idiot."

John smiled again as he heard Rodney's voice in his head, claiming that Colonel Pain in the Ass could try the patience of a saint. The smile disappeared when he remembered the threats made against his team, his family. He had no doubt that the man had not been making empty threats, although he did doubt that he'd get close to any of them, including Dave. Heightened security on his team when one of them disappeared, was also SOP. He should know, it was he that implemented it. He also knew they would protect Dave with their lives. However, Neville didn't need to know that.

"Well, pardon me if the idea of kidnapping a Colonel in the United States Air Force sounds a bit…idiotic."

"Lieutenant Colonel." Neville lashed out. He'd been warned that Sheppard was going to be hard to break but something about the man was already getting under his skin. His seeming irreverence regarding his situation, was grating on him. He was used to people cowering before him when faced with torture. It made him feel…alive.

"Ah, well, Neville, your information is a bit out of date. I was promoted to full Colonel several days ago. By the President himself, don't cha know!" He said the last bit smugly, waiting to see how the man reacted. The surprise on his face gave him heart. Maybe this group wasn't as well informed as he'd feared.

Recovering quickly, Neville waved a hand nonchalantly. "Lt. Colonel, Colonel, it's all the same. We have you and you'll give me everything we need to know." He leaned in closer to John's face and smiled. "We'll make sure of that. The President should be dead right now, but he isn't because of you. You'll regret getting in the way of that!" He leered down into John's face and Sheppard couldn't help the laugh that burst out of his mouth, although it hurt his head. He'd been threatened by the Wraith, the Replicators, hell by Teyla when he'd done something she felt was remarkably stupid! This man didn't come close to scaring him, not compared to them.

Neville reared back at the sound of the laughter and an ugly look crossed his face. He wasn't used to being laughed at and this was not going as he'd expected, regardless of how they'd warned him. Lashing out, he grabbed the index finger on Sheppard's left hand and bent it back viciously, snapping bone and tearing tendons. John gasped at the intense pain but immediately clenched his jaw, refusing to let loose the scream that wanted out. "That's just a hint of what's in store for you Sheppard! You think that hurt? Just you wait!"

"My team will find me, and you'll regret the day you ever heard my name!" John gritted out.

"Oh, were you thinking they'd find you using your subcutaneous transmitter?" Neville reached down and patted John's arm hard, sending more waves of pain through him. "You had a bit of surgery in the van. We removed and destroyed it. No, I'm sorry _Colonel_ , you're here for the duration."

John registered the reference to a singular transmitter and felt a wave of relief come over him. Between what happened to Vala when the Trust kidnapped her and various times his teams and others had been waylaid by not so friendlies, he'd talked Jennifer and Carson into inserting a back up transmitter in his team members, this time in the shoulder instead of the bicep. A…proof of concept is how he'd pitched it. That little piece of information had been kept off the radar. Seemed like there was more than one piece of information Neville didn't have.

Straightening up, Neville walked over to a table by the door to the room. John craned his neck to see what he was doing, trying to ignore the throbbing pain that was way out of proportion to the broken finger and incision site in his bicep, figuring it was the effects of the drug he'd been told about. He watched as Neville picked up a syringe and a vial. He turned towards Sheppard and made a show of filling the syringe. He threw the empty vial back on the table and approached John again. "We've found that each successive dose increases the hypersensitivity. I'd hoped to avoid having to inject you again so soon." John heard the blatant lie in his voice, he'd poked the bear and now the bear was about to poke him back. "Still, you leave me no choice. Sweet dreams, _John_. I can't wait to take this up again when you wake up next time."

Unable to resist one last barb, John replied. "Actually, I've found our conversation boring and a bit cliché. Might want to work on that while I'm out. Maybe punch it up a little? Sound a little less like Snidely Whiplash? Oh! I like that better than Neville! I think I'll call you Snidely instead. Maybe you could grow a mustache to twirl?"

Neville, no, Snidely now, scowled at him and rammed home the needle into John's thigh, pushing the plunger down hard. "We'll see how funny you think you are when you wake up next time, Colonel!"

Slurring his words as his eyes drifted shut, John still got in the last word. "I…doubt…it…"

~,~,~,~,~

Dave paced the hospital room as he waited for the Secret Service to show up. Barry Jenkins had immediately been on alert and promised he would send someone out as soon as possible. In the meantime, one of John's team had informed the SGC and they were sending over a Major Davis from something called Homeworld Command. He bumped into Dr. McKay, who was doing his own pacing.

McKay opened his mouth to tell John's brother to watch where he was going, then caught sight of the fear on the man's face. Dave was worried and in way over his head. Instead, he moved out of the way and said. "Sorry. Wasn't looking where I was going." The surprise on the other man's face made him sigh. He knew he wasn't good with people but the bond he had with his team would sometimes make him forget that. They knew him and cared about him anyway, something that still caught him by surprise at times. Awkwardly, he patted Dave on the shoulder. "We'll get him back, we always do. We don't leave a man behind. John taught us that."

Dave was stunned. The scientist had struck him as completely arrogant and self-centered, even though he'd seen the man's devotion to his brother first hand. Something about him got his back up and he didn't expect an attempt at empathy from him, bumbling though it might be. He frowned as he thought over what was said. "What do you mean you _always_ get him back? How often does this kind of thing _happen_?" His voice rose as he spoke.

A new voice joined in. "More often than we'd like." They all turned to the uniformed man who had stepped into the room just in time to hear the end of the conversation. He held out his hand to the only stranger in the room. "Major Paul Davis, Homeworld Command. You must be David Sheppard."

Dave shook the hand automatically. "I am. You know my brother?"

"Yes. We worked together on an assignment not too long ago and I'd read reports from his missions over the years before then. While he was stateside for a while, I got to know him, and his team, fairly well. He's a very smart and resourceful man, Mr. Sheppard. I wouldn't be surprised if he rescued himself before we had the chance." He turned and nodded to the others. "Teyla, Ronon, Rodney, good to see you again. Wish it were under different circumstances." He smiled at Teyla. "I hear congratulations are in order?" Teyla blushed a little and nodded her head. "I'm glad." He'd met Sheppard's team after the Super Wraith hive had been destroyed and Atlantis had been marooned on Earth while the talking heads had argued over where it should be and under whose control. He'd been impressed at how close they were and how four such disparate individuals comprised one of the best teams the SGC boasted, rivaling the reputation of SG-1, mishaps and all. He was an observant man and had seen something between the team leader and the Athosian, but he'd kept his nose out of it. He'd been pleased when the rumors had gotten back to him and then been proven true.

Getting down to business, he asked. "What do we know?"

"Nothing!" McKay retorted, beginning his nervous pacing again. "He was here and then he wasn't! What happened to the agent that was supposed to be watching him?" The door opened again, and McKay stopped his ranting. Agent Peter Stevens stepped in and stopped when five pairs of eyes focused on him immediately. When his boss had briefed the team on the fact that the Colonel had been abducted from the hospital from right under their noses, he'd immediately asked to be assigned. He still felt guilty for his suspicions of the man who had saved their president, taking a bullet meant for him, even if only Sheppard had known it at the time. He also knew that no one outside the President's select team would be read in on this. There was still a chance there was a leak somewhere.

"Paul?" He latched onto the only familiar face in the room.

"Hey Peter, come on in, we're just getting started."

Peter looked around. "Where's O'Brien?"

"That's what we'd like to know!" McKay answered. "He was supposed to be watching Sheppard and he's no where's to be found! I thought you people vetted your agents!"

"You must be Dr. McKay." Jennings had filled him in on the Colonel's team and he found the pudgy man to be exactly as he expected. "Mark O'Brien is one of our best agents, that's why he was assigned to Colonel Sheppard. If he's not here, he was either taken by the same people or he's dead. I know him, he'd never let his charge get taken if he had a breath left in his body." He was angry at the underlying suggestion that anyone from the Secret Service had been involved in the abduction, even though he knew there was concern that they might have a mole. McKay drew in a breath to retort when Teyla stepped in.

"We are sure Mark had nothing to do with it. Rodney is just worried about John." She sent the man in question a look and his head sank down into his shoulders. He knew that look. She turned back to the other man. "We are all worried." She held up the piece of paper with John's note on it. "It appears that they used something called an MRI to lure him from the room. Dave checked with the front desk and there was no order for such a test. I think Mark most likely went with him to make sure he was safe. Now, both of them are gone." Her placid demeanor and calm speech hid the maelstrom under the surface. She wanted John back and she wanted him back _now_.

Paul took the paper and turned it over. "This is written on the back of an official hospital work order." He thought for a moment and pondered out loud. "Whoever took him must have either been an orderly or someone pretending to be, if Agent O'Brien allowed him to get that close to Sheppard." He moved to the door and looked up and down the corridor. "There are security cameras, we need to get access to the footage to see who came into his room. I'll start the request rolling."

McKay picked up his tablet and shook it. "Already did that. There was no footage from the hall after we left to go get something to eat, right around 11:45 AM. It cut out seconds afterwards. Turned back on fifteen minutes later."

"You hacked into the hospital's computer system?" Peter asked incredulously.

"Of course, I did! No sense in waiting until one of you did something!"

"That's…that's…against all kinds of privacy laws! I mean, HIPAA…." The agent sputtered as Davis bit his lip to hide a smile. He knew Stevens was by the book and usually, the book was right. Sometimes though, one had to take risks and shortcuts when a life was at stake. He took over the conversation again to lead it back to their objective. Find Sheppard or at least who had taken him.

"So, someone was watching the cameras and knew exactly when John would be alone except for the agent watching him. They sabotaged the video system, so we have no record of who came for him or where they took him. We need to find out if there's anyone from the hospital staff who's suddenly gone missing."

Peter quickly responded. "I know the Hospital Administrator. I'll most likely have an easier time than anyone else, discussing this with her. She isn't going to be happy that one of her patients, and one as important as the Colonel, was taken out of her hospital against his wishes. She's also going to be on the defensive." He'd worked with Marsy Burke before and had found her to be tough but fair. Still, this hospital was her baby and she wouldn't appreciate anything that could lead to negative publicity. He'd work that angle with her, letting her know they wanted to keep this as quiet as possible, especially as no one outside a select few knew that Sheppard was even here, let alone why.

Davis nodded. As Stevens started to leave the room, he called out. "Anyone who was on shift at 11:45 or about to be. This is a secure facility. They all need to use their id to swipe in and out. See if she can confirm the whereabouts of each of them. Anyone missing or who entered when they weren't scheduled to work, would be our prime suspects. If everyone is present and accounted for, then get the cellphone numbers of all personnel here at that time. We'll see if we can track them through their GPS."

Stevens gawked at him. "That could be hundreds of people!"

Davis looked at him grimly. "If this is the Trust, as we strongly suspect it is, I have a feeling you'll find at least one person missing. They don't tend to hold onto their employees once they've done what they were inserted to do."

Dave's jaw dropped open. "You mean, what? They just kill them once they're done with them?"

The major looked at Dave and nodded. "The Trust is ruthless and cares nothing for human life. Someone could be working for them for years, infiltrating an organization. Once they're activated and the job is complete, in their eyes they become a liability."

"Jesus."

"Couldn't have said it better myself. Go on Stevens, see if you can wheedle that information out of the Administrator. We need it yesterday! No telling what they plan on doing with John. Oh, and tell her I plan to have people searching every nook and cranny just to confirm he hasn't just been moved somewhere else inside the building." He was pretty sure it would be a fruitless search, but he intended to leave no stone unturned. Earth would be under Wraith control right now if not for Sheppard and his team. Stevens nodded and hurried from the room.

"How many agents are on their way to help search?" McKay asked.

Davis looked him in the eyes. "Us."

"Why not more?" Teyla asked, concern in her voice.

"I'm sorry, Teyla. We can't take any chances. There's a possibility that there's a leak in the Secret Service. Somehow it got out that we got the assassin, and everyone else involved was dead within hours. It's also possible there is no leak, but do you really want to tip them off about anything we find out about John's whereabouts? They could decide that he isn't worth the effort. They'll kill him, dispose of the body and disappear."

Ronon spoke up. "I'll never understand you people."

"Ronon, they are not alone in this kind of behavior. We have it in our own galaxy. The Genii and even your own people have been known to behave less than honorably." Their eyes met, and he knew she was talking about Kell. He nodded and turned away, his fingers caressing his blaster.

McKay suddenly snapped his fingers. "His sub-q transmitter! We can get the Daedalus to scan for him from orbit. That's how they found us when Devlin Medical kidnapped me and Jeannie. Why the hell didn't I think of that earlier?" He began frantically typing on his tablet, sending messages to anyone he could think of on the ship. Davis put a hand over his to still the nervous movements.

"When you notified us John had gone missing, that was the first thing the SGC tried. The Daedalus has been scanning since them and has found no trace of him, at least not yet." They'd started over the United States and were methodically working their way around the planet. McKay's face scrunched for a moment and then cleared.

"They're searching for both signals?" He asked, a smug look on his face.

"Both?" Davis was confused as all the SGC teams and most of the civilian contingent on Atlantis had a transmitter implanted. One, not two.

Rodney went back to his typing as he responded. "After one too many kidnappings, John had the four of us implanted with a second chip, on a different frequency, in case one gets damaged or removed. It's not in our records so no one would know of it, outside the leaders of Atlantis."

"Well, that's…"

David interrupted. "Paranoid? Neurotic? I'm guessing these transmitters let you find people when you need to?"

Davis nodded. "Yes, it's a safety precaution both for when someone is hurt and can't respond on their radio or if they go missing." Here he narrowed his eyes at McKay. "One is usually all that's needed."

McKay huffed. "And I thought you knew Sheppard?" He tapped a few more keys and looked up. "Ok, I've given the Daedalus the frequency of his other transmitter. They're going to have to start the sweep over." Novak had been the one who responded the quickest and took the information. He could just picture her standing there hiccupping while entering the commands. He paused and a look of anger passed over his face. "This could take a couple hours and who knows what plans they have for him!"

Davis nodded, giving up on figuring out the inner workings of this team. "We're not going to be sitting around Dr. McKay, we'll be doing our own investigation and search. John is important to more than just your team."

David had stood by impotently and listened. The more they talked, the more he feared for his brother. The fact that they all obviously cared about him did little to assuage the growing panic that he may never see his brother again. "I need to be doing something! Anything!" He blurted out.

Paul eyed him and then nodded. "If you don't mind, you can join John's team and help with the search of the building. I'll stay here and coordinate everyone, as well as keeping the SGC and a select group at the Secret Service, up to date." He opened his briefcase and pulled out several boxes. Opening them, he handed out standard SGC earwigs to each. "Please use these to contact me if you find anything and to keep us all up to date on how the search is going." Teyla helped Dave put his on and quietly explained how to use it.

The Major turned and addressed his next words to Ronon, flicking his gaze to McKay so he would know that he was included in his warning. "You need to be thorough but discrete! This is still a hospital and there are some very sick people here, not to mention some very important ones. You can't just barge in and start tearing every room apart."

Ronon nodded, willing to agree to anything so he could get out of this room and start searching for his friend. He looked at Teyla, who knew what he was asking and nodded. "Let's go! McKay, you're with me. Sheppard, you're with Teyla." He didn't want John's brother with him, he wanted someone who understood him, annoying though he may be, and he wanted nothing more than to pull out his gun and race down the hallway, destroying anything that got in the way of his objective, but he knew Davis was right. It wouldn't be fair to the innocents who had no idea they were in the midst of any kind of crisis.

McKay nodded and held up his laptop. "I've got a program running that's searching for both transmitter signals. If he's here, we'll find him!"

David said nothing and turned to Teyla, glad he hadn't been paired with either of the other men but worried that he wouldn't be able to protect her if they stumbled on someone from this Trust thing. He remembered the things John had proudly told him about this petite woman. Her fierceness, her warrior mentality, the fact that she could wipe the floor with any of the marines on their base and found it hard to reconcile that information with the seemingly serene beauty who loved his brother.

"Let's go already!" McKay said impatiently.

They left immediately and Ronon paused, sniffing the air. McKay raised an eyebrow, ready to say something snarky about Rin Tin Tin but held his tongue as he realized two things. One, Ronon would have no idea who that was and then he'd have to explain, possibly getting hit a time or two while he did so. And two, he really was a remarkable tracker with a keen sense of sight and smell. Ronon began moving left as he issued instructions. "Teyla, you and Dave go right. We'll go this way."

Inside the now empty room, Davis frowned as he pulled a laptop out of his briefcase. He was thinking about John. He hadn't been lying when he said he'd gotten to know Sheppard and his team when they'd been on Earth. The two had become friends and he was worried, deeply worried. This whole situation had the potential to be bad on so many levels.

Outside the room, the group split into two and McKay began to trot after his big teammate, keeping one eye on the laptop he was carrying. They checked each room to see if there was a name on the door. If there was, they peeked in quickly, Ronon's eyes searching the room as McKay made apologies where needed and then they moved on. If there wasn't a name, the empty room was given a good search but, so far, they hadn't turned up anything to help them figure out where Sheppard was or who took him. When they reached the end of the hallway, Ronon stopped in front of the elevator, frowning.

"What?" McKay asked when it looked like his friend was going to remain silent.

Ronon turned and looked at him, the frown getting deeper. "I smell something."

"Like what?"

"Like death."

"Oh, well, isn't that lovely? This is a hospital, people die here all the time!"

"This is different."

"How?"

"I don't know, it just is." Ronon reached out and pushed the down button. He'd learned about elevators while on Earth and thought they were great for people who were too injured, sick or old to walk up and down stairs on their own. What he didn't understand was why so many healthy people would use them to go just one or two floors. He'd never said anything to his Earth teammates but both he and Teyla thought that some of the time saving devices this planet's population used had made them soft. The door swished open and his nostrils flared as the scent strengthened and a second joined it. He stepped in and did a thorough search.

"What?" McKay hated not knowing what was going on.

"It's stronger in this box." He didn't mention the other smell as he was having trouble recognizing it.

"Car." Rodney absently corrected him.

"Yeah, whatever." Ronon replied.

McKay raised an eyebrow, hearing another friend in the words. The big guy had been hanging around Sheppard too long, as far as he was concerned. He watched as Ronon squatted down and ran a finger across the floor, lifting it to his nose, sniffing and then taking a taste.

McKay grimaced. "That is _sooo_ disgusting! Why do you always have to _taste_ everything? Who knows what's on that floor!"

Ronon stood up. "Tastes funny."

"Oh, and have you been doing taste testing in your spare time? How do you know what Earth dirt and grime is _supposed_ to taste like?"

"Not like that." Ronon said, something niggling at the back of his brain.

"So, let me get this straight. You smell death and the floor tastes funny. What else?"

"There's another smell." Suddenly it hit him. "It smells like the air after a battle."

"You mean, like gunpowder?"

"No, not that kind of weapon. More like…after firing my blaster multiple times. It leaves a…smell in the air."

"Burnt ozone? Like, electrical?"

"Yeah."

McKay thought for a moment and then his face paled. "Oh God…no."

"What is it McKay?" Ronon hated it when Rodney realized something but kept it to himself.

"Zat gun." Came the whispered reply.

"You think…"

"I think you may just have tasted what's left of a human body." McKay looked a bit green.

Ronon's stomach did a roll. If they'd used this weapon on Sheppard, his friend was gone and there was nothing they could do. He reached up and keyed his radio. "Major?"

"Yes Ronon." The reply was instant as Davis had been waiting impatiently for someone to check in with him. The Daedalus had restarted their sweep, but they were almost on the other side of the planet so had begun again from there. Sheppard most likely hadn't been gone long enough for them to get him that far away. Still, they weren't sure what technology this particular arm of the Trust had access to and they could be anywhere, even off world.

"We found something. McKay thinks a zat gun was used."

Paul swallowed hard. He'd seen first hand what those weapons could do. "Do you think…"

McKay butted in. "No, they wouldn't have gone to all this trouble if they just wanted to kill John. They would have just shot him in the room, not taken him to the elevator and done it there. Whoever was…disintegrated…" His voice showed his revulsion. "It was either the employee or Agent O'Rourke."

"O'Brien." Davis corrected automatically.

"Yeah, whatever." Oh hell, he'd been hanging around Sheppard too much too.

~,~,~,~,~


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

~,~,~,~,~

John woke up more abruptly the second time. It took a moment to register that he was now vertical instead of horizontal. His first clue was that the pain from his broken finger and the incision in his bicep, appeared to be coming from over his head. He didn't even want to acknowledge the stabbing pain in his abdomen from his recent surgery. He opened his eyes just a slit and was relieved to find the room was dim, allowing him to open them fully without adding to the pounding currently going on behind his eyes. Still a little fuzzy, he looked up at his hands shackled above his head and sighed. He was hanging from a hook in the middle of the ceiling. If that wasn't classic Snidely, he didn't know what was. At least he was standing and not having to carry his full weight on his wrists and shoulders. Based on how he felt right now, he knew that pain would be staggering. His feet felt like blocks of ice and he stared down at his now bare feet bemusedly. A groan behind him had him spinning around, waking more pain as the metal bands around his wrists bit into them.

He struggled harder when he recognized Agent Mark O'Brien strapped to the bed across the room from him. He stopped the struggle when the man moved and groaned again, finally opening his eyes and meeting Sheppard's.

"Colonel?"

"Yeah, Mark. How're you feeling?"

"Tingly." He frowned. "I did not just say that."

John huffed out a small laugh, about all he could manage over the pain that seemed to be coming from everywhere. "Yeah, pins and needles are a side effect of being stunned."

"You sound like you're speaking from experience?"

"Unfortunately, I am. Pretty sure I hold the record among Atlantis personnel for number of times stunned. Especially if you include friendly fire." He knew Barry wouldn't have stationed someone outside his door who wasn't conversant with the Stargate program, so he could talk freely.

"Friendly fire?

"Long stories. I'll tell you when we get out of here."

Mark pulled against the restraints chaining his arms and feet to the bed as the feeling had started returning full force and the sight of his charge hanging in the middle of the room was just wrong. "So, I was stunned?" He asked as he continued to work at the bonds.

"You were. By a Zat gun."

Mark stilled. He knew what that meant. "One stuns…"

"Don't think about it."

Trying to comply, Mark asked. "Do you know who they are? What they want with us?"

"Trust operatives. What they want from us, I still don't know. All they asked me for was my IDC and command codes."

Mark frowned. "That won't do them any good. They'll already have been inactivated."

"They knew that."

"Then why ask?"

John thought for a moment and then said slowly. "It was a test. To see if I'd give something up, even something that would do them no good."

"Did you pass or fail?"

"Good question."

They stared at each other across the room, both their thoughts heading in the same direction. "So, if they know they won't get anything from you, then I'm…"

"Leverage."

"Sir, you can't…"

"And I won't. Mark…I'm…sorry you got caught up in all this."

"It's okay, John." He replied, using the Colonel's first name deliberately. "I knew when I took this job, it was dangerous and that one day I may not make it home alive."

John swallowed hard. "Your family…"

"Don't have any. My parents are dead, no brothers or sisters. Never got married. Not even in a relationship right now. No really close friends, the job is my life. No one to miss me. I think…I think I kept it that way for this reason."

John struggled against his chains again. "Doesn't mean we should just give up. We'll get out of here."

"John…"

The door opened and they both stopped talking, both sets of eyes swiveling to the door where Snidely now stood.

"How very optimistic of you Colonel Sheppard, but fool hardy. Neither one of you is getting out of here any time soon."

"Don't be too sure of that." John said fiercely.

"Oh Colonel, please. I hold all the cards. You're not going anywhere, and you will, eventually, tell me everything I want to know." He walked over to John and then moved around behind him. When he was out of sight, he pulled back his arm and drove a fist into John's kidneys. He knew the pain would be significantly more to him than the punch warranted, due to the drug, and he waited for the scream. His reward was a mere grunt and he felt his anger ratchet up. Moving around so that he could face his captive, he searched the man's face and was gratified by what he saw. He may not have screamed, but he was hurting.

"We listened to your pitiful little conversation. You were right Colonel; my questions were a test. A test to see if you would talk when your wellbeing was the only incentive. We also heard you say that you'd throw your little bodyguard to the wolves instead of giving us what we want. Do you know what that means?"

John just glared at him, knowing what he meant, and he smiled in return. He gestured to one of his goons who'd come in with him. The man hurried to his side and handed him a zat gun. He caressed it as he paced. "Such interesting technology from such a fascinating culture. It's come in handy more than once. I know you understand how it works." He opened it and it made the whining sound he loved. He aimed it at Allen, the goon, who blinked and took a step back. He smiled and waved the gun around the room, finally coming to land on Mark. "I'm afraid Agent O'Brien is no longer of any use to us if you won't talk to save his life." Without a second's thought, not giving John a chance to bargain or beg, he fired the gun and O'Brien was bathed in light as his body arched, falling lifeless to the bed. He fired again, and the body was gone, leaving only a smell of burnt ozone and something a bit sickly sweet in the air. He turned to Sheppard and opened his mouth to taunt him but stopped at the look on the man's face. It was hard as stone, not a single emotion showing, any hint of pain gone from the cold, dead eyes that stared back at him.

"I am going to kill you with my bare hands." The words were flat and held no inflection. No rage, no horror, nothing but cold certainty.

"I hardly think you're in a position to threaten me." He scoffed.

"I am going to kill you with my bare hands." The words were repeated in exactly the same tone, as John held his eyes. He took a step back involuntarily. Inwardly berating himself for allowing the Colonel to get to him, he gave a sickly smile.

"We'll just have to wait and see now, won't we, Colonel? Let's try a different question this time, shall we? Give us the full layout for Stargate Command. Its entrances, its security, its weaknesses, all checkpoints. If you don't, the next person in that bed just may mean something to you!"

"I am going to kill you with my bare hands."

"Enough!" He bellowed, losing his temper. He handed the gun to Allen and began to pummel the helpless man hanging from the ceiling, waiting, wanting, to hear the screams. Screams that never came. Colonel John Sheppard had gone deep into his own mind, blocking out the pain, both physical and emotional. There would be time to deal with that later. Now, he stood and said nothing as his captor battered his body. He wouldn't give the man anything, including the satisfaction of hearing him scream out his pain. He would wait and then he would strike.

~,~,~,~,~

Ronon and Rodney stood in the doorway to the elevator, finding nothing further. Rodney stared at his tablet, at the program he was running to find Sheppard's transmitter. Finally, Ronon grunted.

"Why do we have to go floor by floor? Wouldn't your program just find him anywhere in the hospital from anywhere?"

"It can't."

"Why not? The Daedalus can find one from space."

"Well, my tablet isn't quite that powerful, now, is it?" He tapped it a few more times. "It has a limited range and because we're so close, some of the hospital equipment is interfering."

Ronon just shook his head and stepped further into the elevator car. McKay followed him, dancing around the center where they were pretty sure a body was disintegrated.

"Which way?" Ronon asked.

"What?"

"Up or down?"

McKay stared at the buttons. Making a quick decision, he reached out and pushed the one for garage. "Why that way?" Ronon asked.

"Might as well start at the bottom and work our way up." They were silent as the elevator slowly descended, both lost in their own thoughts. When the doors opened, Ronon stepped out first, putting his body between whatever, or whoever, might be waiting and his teammate, his gun held out in front of him.

"Will you put that down?" McKay shouldered past him, tapping on his tablet as Ronon lowered the gun.

"I smell it down here too."

McKay sighed. "I was afraid of that."

"Why?"

"If they wanted to get John away from the hospital, they would have brought him down here and taken him away in a car or most likely a van." He looked around, noticing the security cameras and began tapping furiously on the tablet again, but without much hope. Unfortunately, he was right. "Damn it."

"What?"

"The security cameras down here were shut off about the same time as they were upstairs."

"Then we have nothing." Ronon was frustrated.

"No, not nothing. We now know the probability that John is still in the hospital is pretty much nil." He suddenly snapped his fingers and moved towards the street. He peered out at the street and his eyes widened. "We need to get back to Davis and Stevens, right now. We need to access the traffic cameras around the hospital. See if we can find any vehicles leaving the garage around the time Sheppard was taken." He hurried back to the elevator and turned to find Ronon hadn't followed him. "Come on! Chop, chop! Time's wasting!" Ronon rolled his eyes, another mannerism that reminded Rodney strongly of John, and finally followed him.

Once they were both inside, McKay hit the button for the 5th floor and tapped his radio. "Davis?"

"Here. Did you find anything?"

"Yes, we think they took Sheppard out of here through the garage. The cameras were off down there as well. We need everyone to fall back to Sheppard's room." He unconsciously used the military speak he'd become accustomed to.

"Very well. I'll be waiting. I'll call back Teyla and Dave."

"We'll be there in a minute." He tapped the radio off and there was silence once again as they rose through the building.

Inside Sheppard's room, Davis activated his comms and reached out to the other team on their frequency. "Teyla?"

"Yes, Major Davis?" He heard the hope in her voice and hated to be the one to dash it.

"McKay and Ronon found evidence that leads them to believe the Colonel was taken away by car. That he's no longer in the hospital."

"Oh."

"Can you and Dave please come back to the Colonel's room? McKay and Ronon are on their way back as well."

"We will be there shortly." Teyla tapped off her comms and closed her eyes briefly.

"What?" Dave asked. He still hadn't gotten the hang of using the radio currently irritating his ear.

"I am sorry Dave, it looks like John is no longer here. There is evidence that he was taken away. We have been asked to return to his room."

"What? No! We need to keep looking! They could be wrong! We could still find him _here_!" Dave didn't want to give up, he wanted to find his brother.

"Dave, if Rodney thinks that John is gone, then he is gone. You can trust him, he is the smartest men I have ever met. We need to go back to the room and see what they have found."

Dave wanted to argue but he was so far out of his depth, he knew he would have to follow their lead. Give him a hostile takeover and he could run rings around anyone, this was something he didn't know how to deal with. He reluctantly agreed and followed her back towards the room. When they got there, the others were already back.

"Good, you're here." Rodney said as he looked up from the laptop he'd appropriated from Davis as soon as he walked into the room.

Teyla moved up closer to her friends, needing their support. "Rodney, what have you found?"

"Someone was killed in the elevator using a zat gun. The cameras in the garage were turned off around the same time as the ones up here. I'm trying to hack into the traffic cameras across from the hospital to see if we can catch them leaving. Hopefully, they didn't turn those off as well." He went back to the laptop while the others watched him. When the door opened, they all jumped. Peter Stevens stopped with a feeling of déjà vu when all eyes turned to look at him.

"Did you find anything out, Stevens?" Davis asked.

"Yeah, one of the orderlies, a Caleb Anderson, is missing. He came in for his shift and disappeared around the time Colonel Sheppard was abducted. Marcy actually turned up two people missing, both already reported AWOL by their managers. Anderson and a nurse named Jackman. Turned out the nurse was in the bathroom puking her brains out. Morning sickness and trying to hide her pregnancy for some reason or another. I caught something along the lines of an affair with one of the married doctors. Anderson is not to be found."

McKay snorted. "Jeez, we ended up in an episode of General Hospital." Sobering, he added. "Someone will have to figure out what to do about Anderson. Do we notify his family he's dead if we can't produce a body or just let him get listed as a missing person? Never to be seen or heard from again?"

"That's cold, Dr. McKay." Dave said quietly.

Rodney turned to him. "No, it's not. It's the reality of being a traitor to pretty much the whole human race. He was expendable to them and now he's gone, through no fault of ours. His decision, his consequences. What we need to focus on is finding John before the same thing happens to him." His voice broke a little as he thought of never seeing John again.

"You're right, I'm sorry." Dave saw the man's point and heard the worry in his voice. He turned to Davis. "What does knowing this Anderson guy was involved, get us?"

"We dig into him and see if we can find some connection that will help us. We have names of suspected Trust operatives, ones that we've either never been able to pin anything on or ones that we've been watching, hoping to have them lead us to their superiors. I'll have one of the analysts at the SGC start on that right now." He pulled out his cell phone and moved away. McKay went back to the laptop. The rest stood and waited, feeling useless. The Major finished his call and came back to join them in waiting. Hoping for anything that would give them a direction to go in.

While they waited, Davis got some more information from Peters. The Administrator was being cooperative. She wanted no part of a controversy surrounding her hospital and was willing to let them handle everything, as long as it was done quietly. Stevens decided now would be as good a time as any to fill his boss in on how things were going. He called Jenkin's direct line and it went to voice mail.

"Barry? I'm in Sheppard's room. Call me when you get this." He hung up, not wanting to leave any critical information on a recording.

A few minutes later, McKay said loudly. "I'm in." The others hovered around him. "I'm rewinding the clock back to 11:45. That's the last time any of us had eyes on John. I'll track forward and find every car, van or bicycle that left this building." He looked at Davis and then at Stevens. "Either of you have an issue with this?"

"No."

"None."

McKay nodded and went back to work. They watched as he played the recording on fast forward, stopping when anything exited. He'd stop and then zoom in on the license plate. They were either lucky that the camera angle was that good or the hospital was using it to keep track of who came and went. He found he didn't care either way. When he got to the point where he saw himself looking up at the camera, he stopped. He had a list of forty-four cars and vans that had left during that time, some from out of state. Surprisingly, nor maybe not as it _was_ a hospital, the vans outnumbered the cars. Damn it, why was this hospital so damn busy? He put his head in his hands for a minute and felt Teyla's hand on his shoulder, squeezing gently.

"Rodney? Are you alright?"

"What if this doesn't work? What if we never find him?" His voice was disconsolate.

"If anyone can find John, it is you." She leaned down and placed her forehead against his. Rodney felt his spirits lift at the traditional Athosian greeting. She was right! He was a genius and he could do this. With renewed spirit, he hacked into the local DMV and began his search, entering the plates for vehicles from this state. He started with the vans, sure that they'd need one to transport not only one ill Colonel but, hopefully, one unconscious and not dead SS agent. As the registration for each one came up, Davis would text it to his analyst at the SGC who ran it through their database, looking for a hit while simultaneously researching the missing orderly.

Time passed slowly as the agitated group began to get more agitated. Ronon paced, making comments once in a while that this was taking too long, only to have McKay ask him to come up with a better idea. It was about to start again when McKay stopped typing. "Damn it."

"What is it Rodney?" Teyla asked.

"That was my next to last local plate for a van and I got a hit."

"Is that not good?"

"No, the hit was that it was reported stolen two days ago."

Davis stepped closer. "It makes sense. They wouldn't exactly use a personal vehicle. This has to be it! Can you follow it?"

McKay turned back to the computer, heartened. "If anyone can, I can." He began back at the hospital camera and noted it had turned left, writing down the timestamp after he instructed the laptop to record his findings. He brought up a map of the traffic cameras in the area, accessed the next one and backed up to just after the van had left the garage, moving slowly through the footage to locate it. When he found it, it went straight, and he went to the next camera. He followed it down street after street, watching the direction it took carefully. The others watching over his shoulder, hopeful that it would lead them to John. Davis worried that it would take a turn and disappear. When it did, he wasn't taken by surprise. These people knew what they were doing and were likely to be aware of the cameras. They would move out of the coverage area as soon as possible. It was what he would do.

Rodney's shoulders slumped when he realized he had followed it as far as he could. Davis patted him on the shoulder. "This was a longshot Rodney, but we have more than we had before."

Dave had watched a lot of crime shows over the years and had a thought. "Can you go back through the footage and see if you can find a frame with a good enough view of the driver and passenger that we could use to run facial recognition?"

Every eye turned to him and he turned beet red. "I mean…I mean…."

Rodney straightened up, furious with himself that he hadn't thought of that. "David Sheppard, that is a brilliant idea and would be exactly the kind of thing that John would come up with." He rewound the video and started the playback moving slowly, almost frame by frame. About halfway through, he found what he was looking for. He froze the frame and sent it to his tablet. Switching to that, he ran his own enhancement program on it and watched as the picture gradually became sharper and clearer.

Davis watched with fascination. When it stopped, and they probably had the best picture that they'd get, he said. "That's most impressive Rodney. I would bet that the SGC would be very interested in this, not to mention the FBI, CIA, Secret Service and pretty much any other law enforcement agency in the world."

"I know." Davis chuckled at the lack of humility that was Rodney McKay.

"Send that to me and I'll have it run through facial rec." McKay nodded, already on it. Paul turned and smiled at Dave who smiled back, feeling like he had finally contributed something.

"What do we do now?" Teyla asked. Ronon perked up, waiting to hear the answer.

"Now, we wait."

"Wait for what? Who knows what these people are doing to Sheppard while we sit here!" Ronon was wound up tight.

"I understand your frustration, Ronon, but what would you have us do? This is a city of over five hundred thousand people. Where would you start?" Davis asked.

"I don't know! I just don't like sitting around, waiting and doing nothing while Sheppard wonders where we are!"

"Ronon, we aren't doing nothing. We just don't have anything specific to go on. When we do, you'll be the first one to know."

"Fine." He turned and went to stare out the window, wondering where his friend was and hoping that he knew they were looking for him, that they wouldn't abandon him to his fate. Teyla walked up beside him and slipped her small hand into his. He squeezed it but didn't look down at her. Together, they stared out into the human city below them. At least John had warranted a room with a view. Staring at a wall would not have been the same.

The door opened once again, and Barry Jenkins stepped in. His face was somber as he took in the worried faces. "I have some news."

"What?" Several voices said at once.

"We think we found out what the president was working on that led to the assassination attempt and John's abduction. Unbeknownst to us, President Hayes has been in discussions with the French, British and Chinese ambassadors, those who know about the Stargate, with thoughts to make the program public knowledge." He was obviously not happy that this had been kept from him. "He isn't exactly onboard, but he's not fiercely opposed to it. The Chinese are leading the charge, they've always felt that the program should be out in the open. The Brits are on the fence. The French are totally against it. If this information got out, then we would also tell the world about our alien alliances and enemies. This would mean that the Trust could be exposed, no longer able to work in the shadows because we fear their existence getting out."

"Do you think the ambassadors are in danger as well?" Davis asked.

"We've already notified their prospective governments and protection around them has been increased. No attempt has been made so far. The President is also safe."

"What does this have to do with John?" Teyla asked.

"We're not 100% sure, but we think that they want information and took John to get it. Probably anyone associated with the program would have done, but John has thwarted them on several occasions. His still being stateside after he stopped the assassination, was most likely seen as a way to get information, revenge and remove a thorn from their side all at once. Your base has been notified as well and Major Lorne has increased security there. He wanted you to know that he wishes he could be here with you but can't leave his post if there's a threat."

Rodney spoke up. "I think we need Carson here. He knows John and will be able to help when we find him if…if…" He couldn't continue that thought. Taking a deep breath, he changed tactics. "He's going to be pissed at us that we didn't let him know John was gone as soon as we found out."

Davis nodded. "It's a good idea. I know how the Trust operates. There's a good chance we'll be best served by having a battle tested physician with us when we find John."

Rodney snorted. "Hah, battle tested!"

~,~,~,~,~

A/N – I try to keep as close to cannon as possible (Sheyla aside) but may have taken some liberties with the zat gun in order to make the story work.

A/N2 – Many, many (to the nth power) thanks to honus47 for being my beta and finding my mistakes. You're a great friend! Any left are mine…or google's if I can shift blame to them.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

~,~,~,~

Robert Johannsen, aka Snidely, stared at the man hanging in front of him, absent mindedly rubbing the sore knuckles on his right hand. The man stared back at him from his left eye, the right swollen shut, no emotion showing in it, still as flat and cold as it had been an hour ago. He'd made no sounds, other than an involuntary grunt now and then, as Robert had done his best to make him talk. He was torn between being angry at failing at something he was normally good at and a grudging respect for Colonel Sheppard's ability to withstand what was being done to him. He'd been careful not to touch the area surrounding the surgical site and had concentrated on the face, arms, legs and the left side when attacking his torso. He wanted information and possibly killing the man by reopening his existing wounds, would not accomplish that. He was getting frustrated at his lack of progress, sure the boss wouldn't appreciate his excuses. When the boss wanted something, you'd better get it.

He'd used his fists. He'd used a cane to beat the man's arms and legs. The pain should have been excruciating enough to have had him screaming and volunteering any information requested and even some that hadn't been. The drug he'd been injected with had never failed to elicit that response, the very nerve endings feeling like they were on fire. Still, the Colonel had not responded to any question put to him, saying nothing and sending chills up his spine with that inhuman stare. He wouldn't even give up his name, rank and serial number, something they already had. No, the boss was not going to be pleased.

"Robert?" A silky voice said his name from behind him and he closed his eyes, momentarily wondering if just thinking about the boss had conjured her up. He opened them and turned slowly to face her.

"Ma'am. I wasn't expecting you."

"I'm sure you weren't. I come and go as I please. Are you under the impression that I need your permission to come see what progress you've made?" The words were said with no anger, but he knew better. He'd been around long enough and was smart enough to know how this game was played.

"No, of course not." He didn't elaborate.

"Very well." She turned and looked at Sheppard. "What has he given you?"

Robert twitched a little but kept the fear off his face. "Nothing, as of yet."

"What do you mean nothing?" She turned back to him and he had to stop himself from taking a step backwards.

"He has an incredibly high threshold for pain and the drug hasn't been as efficient as normal." He stopped talking and looked at Sheppard, who was still staring at him and completely ignoring the boss, something he was pretty sure she would not appreciate. "He also seems to have the ability to disassociate himself from what is happening to him."

"I don't want to hear excuses, Robert. I want information. If you can't get it, I'm sure there's someone else who will be able to do a better job." He blanched at the implied threat but decided to defend himself.

"I highly doubt it. You know I'm the best there is. No one else is going to get you the results you want."

"Perhaps. Perhaps not. If you continue to disappoint me, we'll find out. Won't we?"

"Yes ma'am." He backed off. She turned back to Sheppard and stepped closer to him. He continued to stare at Robert and she moved to block his line of sight.

"Colonel Sheppard, we haven't been introduced. My name is Rebecca Morley and I need information from you. It would be in your best interests to give it to us." She reached out and ran a hand down his face, making sure she ran her fingers through the blood that dripped from a gash above his swollen eye. She pulled the fingers back and made a show of sniffing the transferred blood. She then delicately licked the fingers, one by one, until it was all gone. Sheppard made no response and stared over her shoulder, towards where she knew Robert was. She heard movement behind her and Sheppard's eyes tracked it. She gripped his chin and forced his head towards her.

"You will pay attention to _me_! Do you understand me?" Robert knew that tone. The boss was not happy and bad things happened when she wasn't happy. When Sheppard continued to completely ignore her, her eyes flashed yellow.

"I will not be ignored! Do you understand me, you worthless human?" The voice reverberated with that odd sound it got when a Goa'uld symbiote was angry or wanted to intimidate. Sheppard still paid no attention to her/it. Stepping back, she tried another tactic. "We got quite a bit of useful information about Stargate Command and Atlantis from Colonel Caldwell, before you discovered him and killed our brother. You stopped us from destroying Atlantis, you stopped us from killing your president and you will pay for that! The information Caldwell gave us is out of date and useless! I want the new location of Atlantis!" When she still got no response, her hand whipped out and slapped him across the face. The increased strength given to the host by the symbiote, caused the man's head to snap to the right and unbalance him. He hung for a moment from the chains before slowly getting his feet back under him. He turned back to face them, ignoring her once again and fixating on Johannsen. Her anger ratcheted up and her hand came up for another swing when Robert intervened.

"Ma'am? Killing him won't get you the information you want." He said quietly, not quite sure why he risked her wrath. If she killed Sheppard, it would end this, and she couldn't blame it on him. Still, he never did like to lose and Sheppard dying before giving up the information they wanted, felt like losing. She turned towards him, her eyes flashing yellow in her agitation. He held his hands up. "Please, just give me a little more time."

"You have until the end of the day and then we end this. Either he talks, or he dies, and we find someone else more amenable. In the meantime, I'm sure we can find someone that will help loosen his tongue." She turned and glared at Sheppard. Leaning in, she whispered to him. "I hope you don't talk, Sheppard. I will enjoy being the one to kill you!" She turned to Robert. "If you can't make him talk, make sure you don't kill him. That will be _my_ prerogative. Do I make myself _perfectly_ clear?"

"Yes ma'am."

With a final glare at Sheppard, who still didn't acknowledge her presence, she stormed out, slamming the door behind her. Robert watched her go, shaking his head. When he was sure she was gone, he turned back to his prisoner.

"You really want me to let her have a go at you? Why don't you be a good little Colonel and answer my questions? What is the new location of Atlantis?" He hadn't wanted Sheppard to know the question they really wanted the answer to. He wanted the man to give in to questions that had little to no value, to get used to the idea of answering. It had worked for him on more than one occasion. The boss had just ruined that interrogation technique and let the cat out of the bag. Sheppard now knew what they wanted, and he had a feeling the man would die before giving it up. Between the Goa'uld's odd obsession with destroying the Ancient outpost and the new threat to the Trust that making the Stargate public knowledge would entail, upper management was getting desperate and careless. When Sheppard didn't respond but just continued to stare at him, he sighed.

"Let's begin again, shall we?"

~,~,~,~,~

Carson Beckett stood in Sheppard's room with his arms folded across his chest, fairly vibrating with anger. McKay and his teammates stood back, well aware of why the good doctor was so angry. He was just as much a part of their family as anyone and finding out he'd been left out of the loop had hurt and it manifested itself as anger. The others were aware of the anger, just not the why. David was just perplexed. The man was a medical doctor, what good could he have done? The silence in the room began to be oppressive and Rodney decided he should say something.

"Carson…" He stopped, not sure what to say. This was Sheppard's forte. He could charm almost anyone out of their snit. Rodney, not so much.

"Rodney." The response was flat and emotionless.

"Look, we didn't tell you because we didn't have the time. You'd gone back to command and we were here." While the others had gone to the hotel, Carson had gone back to Stargate Command to confer with Carolyn Lam on a project they were working on, related to a plant that had been discovered in the Pegasus Galaxy that had remarkable healing properties. He'd asked to be kept apprised of John's condition and the fact that they didn't consider a kidnapping to be his concern, angered him.

"And ye didn't have time tae simply let me know and let me make me own decision?"

"There wasn't time!"

"Oh, aye? And what, pray tell, has changed noo?"

Teyla stepped close to him and put a hand on his arm. "Carson, when we realized John was missing, we did not think to contact you. We simply wanted to begin searching for him as soon as possible. When we were able to determine that he was not in the hospital any longer, our first thought was to contact you to let you know. Can you forgive us?" Okay, maybe that was an exaggeration. If hadn't been their first thought, but she hated to think her friend felt like he was no longer part of their group. The fact that he was a clone meant nothing. To them, he was still the dear friend they had lost and found once again. To him, it was a big deal, especially as the IOA and SGC had originally prevented him from taking his rightful place on Atlantis, ostensibly due to concerns about his health. John and the rest of the team had worked tirelessly to get him back. He still wasn't their CMO, as that wouldn't have been fair to Jennifer, but he was now their Chief Surgeon and they were just glad he was back.

Per usual, Carson melted under the concerned looks of the Athosian and he sighed. "Aye, lassie. I know your first, and only, concern was for the Colonel. I just wish ye hadn't waited so long tae tell me. I could've helped."

"We realize that Carson. That is why we wanted you here now. If something….if they have hurt…." She stopped, not wanting to put it into words. Carson pulled her into his arms and patted her back.

"Ach, ye know our Colonel, lassie. If anyone gets hurt, it will be the scunners who took him!"

Relieved that the small tempest had passed, Rodney rubbed his hands together. "Alright, what do we know? Sheppard stopped an assassination attempt on the President. An assassination we now think was to stop him from continuing talks about making the program public knowledge, which would then end up putting a huge spotlight on the Trust."

Dave cleared his throat, stopping Rodney in his tracks. "Look, I know I have limited security clearance and am only supposed to know about this Trust and their attempt on Hayes. But, what the _hell_ is this program you keep talking about making public?" He was frustrated and worried and not above showing it. Davis, Jenkins, Stevens and McKay shared a look. Finally, Davis sighed and nodded. Landry would probably have his head, but at this point, the damage had already been done. He proceeded to explain the Stargate Program to one very confused CEO. When he was done, Dave just stared at him with an open mouth. Finally, he blinked a little, coming out of his fugue.

"A gate? That leads to other worlds and other galaxies? Aliens? Here? And that's what John has been doing the last few years? Battling aliens here?" He was still having a hard time wrapping his brain around it.

McKay spoke up. "Actually, he and I have been part of an expedition that has been living in the Pegasus Galaxy for more than five years. The battling aliens part is correct though. Just different ones from the ones the SGC has been battling here in the Milky Way."

"You mean that's why I could never get ahold of him? He not only wasn't in the states, he wasn't on the planet or even in this galaxy?" Dave's voice rose, almost to the point of hysteria.

Rodney nodded. "Now, think about how you feel and project that onto the billions of people living on Earth. What do you think the reaction to finding out that, not only are we not alone in the universe, but that there are several species out there that want to destroy us, enslave us or use us a food supply, would be?"

"Chaos." Dave whispered.

"Agreed. However, there are some, the Chinese in particular, who think it's wrong to hide this from the general public. The Trust would prefer that it remain a secret so that they can continue their work to get full control of it, to use as they wish."

"My god." Dave sat down heavily in one of the chairs. He thought for a moment and then looked at the people staring back at him. They were good people, brave people. "What do you think they're doing to John right now?"

"Most likely, torturing him for information." Rodney said without thinking. Teyla tensed and her eyes filled with tears. Tears she would not let fall until John was back with them and safe.

" _Rodney_!" Carson exclaimed, shaking his head over the scientist's lack of tact.

"Do you want me to sugar coat it? Say they're having high tea and discussing the merits of Batman versus Superman? He's my family and I care about him! I can't bear to think…" Rodney's voice cracked as he wound down. Teyla stepped up close and leaned against him, resting her head on his shoulder. Not only to comfort him but to let him know she forgave him for voicing what they all feared. Usually he tensed up, not knowing what to do in this kind of situation, but this time he leaned his head down to rest on the top of hers, taking comfort from her nearness. The others watched the odd tableau for a moment until Ronon spoke up.

"What do we do now?"

Rodney and Teyla separated and it was he that replied. "If I know Sheppard, whatever they want, they won't get, and he'll piss them off. They'll be beyond royally aggravated with him. I would think they'll set their sights on someone they can use to make him talk. Someone he cares about. They won't be able to get to anyone at the SGC, security has been too tight since the incident with Caldwell and the Wraith incursion awhile back. That place is harder to get into than Fort Knox. They'll focus on those of us that are outside, for whatever reason." He looked around the room. "In case you didn't get the inference, that means us."

"Aye, we got it Rodney." Carson said quietly, knowing his friend was right. John would die before giving up any information about the SGC or Atlantis, but if one of his family were in danger, what would that do to him? He most likely still wouldn't give up what they wanted, but it would destroy him. The man was a passionate and loyal friend, but he was also a soldier who was trained that the greater good outweighed the personal.

"Well, we're too well protected, so I don't think that will be an issue." Rodney said.

"Maybe we shouldn't be." Ronon replied.

"What does that mean?" The scientist wasn't sure he liked where this was going.

"If one of us was taken, then maybe we could rescue Sheppard."

"Oh, please, Conan. All that would mean is that two of us would need to be rescued."

"Maybe if it would be if it was you they took."

"So, you're saying I wouldn't be able to rescue Sheppard?" Rodney was incensed, forgetting that it would mean he was captured and possibly being subjected to whatever was happening to their friend. Ronon just shrugged, knowing that would drive the man insane. McKay opened his mouth to retort when Dave's cellphone rang. They all stopped and looked at him. He felt like a bug under a microscope. Checking the caller id, he sighed.

"It's my office. I need to take this. I'm sorry." Turning away, he moved away from the rest as they got back to their discussion of the situation at hand. A few minutes later, he returned to the group, looking angry.

"What's the matter Mr. Sheppard?" Davis asked.

"It's Dave and I'm not sure what to do. I told my office to cancel all my meetings today and to not schedule anything else, due to a family emergency. However, the CEO of Chiffron, Inc. is insisting on a meeting today, within the next hour. We've been in negotiations for a joint project, but they've been the ones to hold back. It could be worth millions to both our companies. Now, all of a sudden, they want to meet. Now, or there's no deal." He met Davis's eyes, wondering what the other man was thinking.

"Who wants to meet with you and where?" The agent asked.

"Rebecca Morley and at her office."

Davis frowned and went to his laptop. Pulling up some files, his frown deepened.

"What?" McKay asked, frustrated at not being in the know.

"I thought the name sounded familiar. Morley is on our list of suspected Trust operatives, top ranked in fact." Davis looked up from the laptop and met Dave's eyes. "I find this a strange coincidence."

"Does she know she's on the suspect list?" Dave asked.

"Not that we know of. The list of suspects is highly confidential and only available to a select group of people." He didn't have to say that was to protect the data from potential informants, it was understood.

"Well, I guess that answers the question about whether or not Sheppard gave up the information they're looking for and whether or not he's pissed them off." Rodney said. No one disagreed, all thinking that the timing was suspect.

Suddenly, Dave spoke up. "Can I get one of those transmitters?"

"Why?" Carson asked, afraid of the answer.

"So, you can tag and follow me if they take me."

"So, what, you're offering yourself up as bait?" McKay exclaimed.

"Can you think of a better idea? I get chipped, they take me, you follow, you rescue us both. Easy, peasey." Dave replied.

"Oh for….if I had any doubts that you and John were related, you just laid that to rest! Of all the stupid ideas! These people are ruthless and cunning! They take you, they torture you and John gives in, giving them what they want, you both die! Easy, peasey!" McKay retorted.

"Are they that much better than you Dr. McKay?"

"Of course not!"

"Then what's the problem?"

Rodney opened his mouth to reply and realized yet another Sheppard had painted him into a corner. "Yup, brothers." Was his reply, feeling not unlike the bullied kid on the playground who could only come up with the response of 'well so are you'. Dave smiled, although he felt sick inside at the very idea of what he was suggesting.

Ronon asked. "How close is the Daedalus?" He didn't want to risk John's brother but couldn't think of another way. If they could track Dave to where John was being held, then it was a viable option. If the Daedalus was close, maybe they wouldn't have to take the chance.

Rodney checked his tablet. "They're three hours away from us."

Dave moved his head from side to side, cracking his neck. "Well, that's not good. Guess, we need to go with plan A." Rodney just stared at him with his mouth open, hearing John in every word. "Okay, what do I need to do to get implanted?"

Carson chimed in for the first time. "I need to surgically implant the transmitter in your bicep."

"Fine, but I want the second transmitter in my shoulder." Dave responded. Carson's jaw dropped open and he looked at Rodney, who shrugged.

Teyla finally voiced what several of them were thinking. "Dave, John would not want you to put yourself in danger for him." She wanted him to do this, she wanted anything that gave them a chance to retrieve the man she loved, but she knew John wouldn't want anyone to take a risk on his behalf. That she understood he would do so in a second if it were him taking the risk, infuriated her and made her love him all the more.

"Teyla." He looked her in the eyes. "He's my brother."

She nodded, and Carson got to work, knowing that protestations would fall on deaf ears. He numbed Dave's right bicep and picked up a scalpel. Making a small incision, he then inserted the transmitter he had in the bag he'd brought with him, sutured it up and placed a bandage over it. He wondered if he'd become psychic in his second incarnation. For some reason, he'd put both transmitters in his field kit. Thinking a little more deeply on the matter, he wondered if the Ancients had interfered in their own clandestine way. He knew the Ancient known as Chaya Sar had fallen for the Colonel, hard. John had returned her affection, but perhaps not to the level Chaya felt. Even then, Teyla had been important to his friend. Then there was Teer. She had ascended thanks to John's intervention, a goal her people had strived towards for years and John had made it possible within the six months he'd been stranded in the temporal dilation field. That the young woman had felt something for the Colonel was unmistakable. Perhaps one or the other had had a hand in his preparation.

"There, the first transmitter is in. The second can be inserted with just an injection in the shoulder. It's significantly smaller than our normal transmitter and much more powerful."

"My innovation!" McKay interjected.

"Yes, Rodney, very clever." Carson replied as he injected the transmitter into the shoulder of his friend's brother. Done, he stepped back. Dave stood up and shrugged back into his shirt, following it up with his suit jacket and tie. He looked at McKay.

"Are you reading me?"

"Yes, yes. I have you." Rodney poked at his tablet a little harder than necessary.

"Dr, McKay?" When he got no response, Dave tried again. "Rodney?"

The scientist looked up in shock. "Rodney, John won't blame you if something happens to me. He knows me. He knows I wouldn't take no for an answer. We're a lot more alike than you would think."

Softly, Rodney replied. "I noticed that." The two smiled at each other, even though it was strained.

"Okay, let's get this show on the road." Dave said. He smiled at the team as he went to leave the room, Stevens going with him. The agent had transferred his allegiance to the brother and would stick with him as long as the mission allowed.

Before he could leave, Teyla walked up and put both hands on his shoulders, inclining her head. Dave didn't know quite what to do but followed suit, carefully touching his forehead to hers. Carson and Rodney swallowed hard, remembering that first time on the balconies of Atlantis, when they had first become allies of the Athosians. Dave left and there was silence in the room, finally broken by Jenkins.

"God blesses him who helps his brother."

Rodney frowned, trying to place the quote. "Proverbs?" He took a wild guess.

"Abu Bakr. Father-in-law to Muhammad." Jenkins replied.

"Oh. Well."

~,~,~,~,~

"David! It's good to see you. Thank you for agreeing to meet on such short notice." Rebecca Morley stood up from her desk as David Sheppard entered her office on the top floor on the Chiffron building.

"Good to see you too, Rebecca. Although, I'm not sure why this couldn't have waited. My brother is in the hospital and I wanted to spend more time with him."

"Oh, I'm sorry! I didn't know. Is he okay?"

"He will be, eventually." It was all he could do not to grab her by the throat and demand John's location.

"Nothing too serious I hope?" Her words were friendly and lightly concerned, but Dave read more underneath. He had a feeling she hoped nothing of the sort.

"No, just an injury as a result of his job. He's in the Air Force, a Colonel." He bragged, knowing full well she was aware of John's career and rank.

"Really? How exciting! And dangerous!" If Dave had wanted to throttle her before, the urge was almost uncontrollable now. He calmed himself, remembering that he needed her to not suspect he knew who she was. That he needed her to abduct him, to take him to John.

"I wouldn't know. Not something that I can relate to, if you know what I mean." He smiled at her and watched as she relaxed. He felt a bit of a thrill and he wondered if this was what working undercover was all about. He could see why it could become addictive.

"Would you like something to drink David?"

"That would be nice, thank you." She got up and poured a small amount of scotch into a crystal glass. She then poured another for herself. Handing one to him, she sat back down.

"Now that I know that you have limited time, let me get to the point. I've finally convinced the board that a joint project with Sheppard Industries would not only be financially sound, but a good PR boost. We're in!" She raised her glass and held it up to him. Raising his, he smiled and clinked it against hers. Taking a deep sip, he noticed that she put hers down without taking a drink. So, this was it. The drink was drugged. He felt the room spin and wondered at the feeling of satisfaction that swamped him. He should be angry or scared. All he cared about was that he was going to see John shortly. He listed to the right and dropped the glass from his hand. The last thing he remembered was Rebecca calling for assistance.

~,~,~,~,~

John looked up when the door opened. When Snidely stepped in, he refused to refer to him as Robert, even in his mind, and he braced himself for what was to come. So far, he'd been able to stay detached, but a part of him, buried deep, worried about how long he could sustain it. When one of the grunts pushed a gurney into the room, his gut clenched. There could only be one reason for this to be happening. They'd captured another one of his team. He prayed it wouldn't be Teyla. He knew Rodney would be less likely to stand up to Snidely and his henchman, but he couldn't bear to see the woman he loved hurt. When the gurney was set, the men moved away and the man on the bed looked at him with horror written on his face at the sight of him.

"John, are you okay? My god, what have they done to you?" Dave whispered as he strained against the restraints strapping him to the bed. John pushed himself down, deep down into his psyche. He couldn't, he wouldn't, respond. This is what they wanted. If he gave in, hundreds of people could die, if not more. If he gave in, there was still no guarantee either he or Dave would live to see another day. In fact, it was probably a given that they wouldn't. His first reaction was guilt. Dave wouldn't be here if it weren't for him. He would be responsible for the death of his brother. He didn't know if he could live with that. He didn't know if he could look Teyla in the face. The blank look on his face never changed as he didn't answer and Dave despaired that they were too late. John was already broken.

Robert looked at the man in the bed, a feeling of euphoria creeping over him at the look on the man's face. "Who are you?" The man asked.

"Who I am is of no concern to you. What is of concern to you, is that you will die if your brother doesn't give us what we want." Dave glared at him and Robert smirked back, finally feeling in control.

"My brother will never give you what you want! He's a soldier! He'll take whatever information you want to the grave." Dave spat.

"How cliché." Robert turned to Sheppard and saw a spark in the Colonel's previously flat eyes. A spark that said they'd found a chink in the Colonel's armor. Finally.

Robert smiled at the two of them. "Ah, brotherly love. What a wonderful concept. Shall we see how far this will take us?

~,~,~,~,~


	8. Chapter 8

N/A - a reviewer asked about why O'Brien died after only two shots. I found conflicting information on the internet. Some said the first shot will stay with the victim, even hours later. Others said it depended on the person. I went with the first.

N/A2 - This is the end of another story and this chapter is a bit longer. There was no natural break so... I hope you enjoyed it! Many, many thanks to honus47, once again, for finding my mistakes. Any left are my own.

~,~,~,~,~

Chapter 8

~,~,~,~,~

An hour earlier.

~,~,~,~,~

"Are you sure you still have him?" Ronon asked.

"Yes, for the tenth time, I still have him." McKay responded without looking up from his tablet. His tone wasn't as snarky as it normally would've been. He knew Ronon was not only worried about Dave, but how John would react if they allowed anything to happen to his brother. They all were. The Secret Service had provided a town car and Dave had left with Stevens, sitting in the back of the car as if the agent were his driver. He, Jenkins, Carson, Ronon and Teyla had followed in Jenkins's car, a typical non-descript sedan used by law enforcement everywhere. They'd waited a few minutes in case someone was watching the hospital and then caught up but kept back, never allowing the town car out of sight even though Rodney had his location on said tablet the whole time. Major Davis had remained in the room, which was now acting as their de facto command center. When they got to Chiffron's building, Jenkins had parked down the street where they could still see what was going on, but far enough away to avoid being noticed. They'd watched Peter get out of the car and open the door for Dave, who walked into the building leaving his 'driver' behind. None of them, including Stevens, had been happy about it. The man's uneasiness had been obvious in his voice when he'd checked in over comms.

It seemed like they'd been sitting there for hours, but in reality, it was only about twenty minutes, when the beacon indicated Dave was on the move. "He's moving." Rodney exclaimed. The rest watched the front entrance with trepidation.

Jenkins tensed. "That was too quick for a business meeting that will reportedly net them both millions. I think they've taken the bait."

"I dislike calling Dave bait." Teyla said quietly.

"I'm sorry, Teyla. I didn't mean Dave, I meant the situation. Dave is very brave to do this. I think John will be proud of him."

"I think Sheppard will be pissed at us, and at him." Ronon retorted.

Rodney snorted. "Of course, he will be. The only one ever allowed to risk their life, is him."

"Rodney." Carson rebuked, tilting his head towards Teyla who was staring single mindedly at the door Dave should be coming out of.

"It's not like she hasn't told him the same thing!"

Barry put his two cents in. "John's a soldier and, I like to think I've gotten to know him well enough to know, he may be unhappy about this, but he'll understand why his brother took this chance."

Rodney only snorted without lifting his head from watching the blip move across his screen. There was silence for a few minutes and then the scientist frowned. "According to his transmitters, he's already left the building and is moving away!"

"Damn it, they've taken him out a back way. Make sure you don't lose him!" Jenkins said as he started the car. Pulling out, he drove up the street until he was even with Stevens's car. Over the radio, he filled his agent in on what was going on and asked him to follow. When they passed him, the other car quietly pulled out and slipped in behind them.

They drove for fifteen minutes, Rodney calling out directions as he watched the transmitters. When one of them blinked out, Rodney thanked whatever gods might be listening, that they'd put in both. "We've lost one of the transmitters." He informed the group.

"So, they know about them and removed it. Probably did the same with John. That explains why the Daedalus couldn't find him on their first sweep." Carson said.

"Obviously."

Carson just sighed. He knew his friend was worried and hyped up with adrenalin. Rodney could be trying at the best of times and this wasn't one of those times. Still, underneath it all, he'd become a good and decent man over the years. One he was proud to call friend, in both of his lives. He knew the others felt the same.

"They've stopped moving." Rodney said. Jenkins and Stevens both slowed their cars, not wanting to spook whoever had Dave. The area they were in was nonresidential, filled with warehouses, most of which were empty as far as they could see. They'd stick out like a sore thumb in this area, so they had to be careful.

"Where did they stop?" Barry asked.

"Just around the next corner, on Brattle Street. That's the best I can give you. This doesn't have the pinpoint range the sensors on the Daedalus has." Rodney responded.

"Understood. We go on foot from here on." Barry parked the car and Stevens tucked in behind him. They all got out, checking their weapons, including Rodney. Carson just shook his head at the sight of the scientist with his tablet in one hand and his gun in the other. The group approached the corner and Ronon took point, peering around the edge of the building. He watched two men pull Dave out of the back and take him inside as a woman opened the driver's side and stepped out. She looked up and down the street and Ronon pulled back.

"I see them." He reported back softly. "They have Dave and he doesn't appear to be conscious."

Rodney stared at him. "Are you sure he was still alive?" The worry in his voice was obvious.

Barry replied. "He'd be of no use to them if he weren't. He's here to provide leverage to force John to give up whatever they want. A dead brother is not going to give them that. He's alive." Turning to Ronon, he asked. "Which building?"

"The number on it said 465." Was the instant response. Ronon had made a point to make note of it in the few seconds he'd been watching.

"How many?"

"Two men and a woman."

"Most likely Morley. I would guess they have at least four to five more men inside guarding Sheppard and O'Brien." He turned to Rodney. "Dr. McKay, can you pull up the blueprints for the building? Find us a way in besides the front door?" He knew the building would be protected but he was hoping a back door wouldn't be as well guarded. He just prayed they wouldn't have installed security cameras.

Rodney tapped for a few minutes as he hacked into the local records department and located the requested plans. Finally finding them, he handed the tablet over to Jenkins. "Here." He peered nervously at the corner, sure some goons were going to come charging around it any second, firing indiscriminately.

Barry looked over the layout, with Stevens and Ronon peering over his shoulder. He pointed at two places on the blueprint. "Okay, we have several other points of ingress besides the front door. The loading dock is too obvious and will most likely be too well guarded. There's an employee's entrance here on Clover Street and a service one over here on Holyoke. We split into two teams, take out whoever is guarding them and enter. Quietly! The last thing we need to do is let them know we're here. If cornered, they'll take out the hostages without a second thought. Once inside, we'll locate our men and figure out the best way to get them out safely. Watch out for cameras."

He looked up at the grim, determined faces staring at him, handed the tablet back to McKay and nodded. "Ronon, you take Teyla and Rodney. I'll go with Peter. We've worked as teams before so it's the best way to split up. Can any of you pick a lock?"

Ronon nodded, much to the shock of his friends. He shrugged. "What? Sheppard taught me."

Rodney sputtered. "How the hell would he know how to pick a lock?"

"He said something about black oops?"

"Ops, black ops!"

"Whatever."

There he went, channeling John again. Rodney really needed to make sure they stopped spending so much time together once they got back to Atlantis. If they got back, his pessimistic side said. Rodney reached into his pocket, pulled out a life signs detector and held it up. He'd hacked their medical records, HIPAA be damned, and knew neither agent had the gene so couldn't use it. Wouldn't have mattered anyway, he only had the one and he was the one who was going to use it.

"What's that?" Peter asked with a frown.

"It's a life signs detector and I can use it to locate any people inside so that we can try to avoid them, but it has a limited range. The transmitters on John and Dave will lead us to them, but not help us keep from getting shot. This gives us an edge."

Barry slapped him on the back. "Good thinking. I've heard about them, but never seen one in person." He turned to Carson. "Dr. Beckett, we'll need you to be our eyes and ears out here. If anyone else shows up, notify us over comms immediately. We most likely won't be able to respond. If you hear one tap, you'll know we received the information. Once we find John, Mark and Dave, we may need your services." Carson nodded, not really happy about being left outside, but understood the need for a lookout. He was also the only one not armed, not that he wasn't sure they'd offer him a gun if he requested it. He'd no sooner had that thought, then Barry leaned over, lifted his pant leg and pulled out his back up piece. He handed it to the doctor, who had to resist taking it between thumb and forefinger. "I assume you know how to use this?" Carson nodded. John had insisted he learn but he'd never been happy around firearms, he'd seen the damage they could do, up close and personal, during his stint in several ERs and then the infirmary on Atlantis.

Barry seemed to know what he was thinking and smiled a little. "That's only for self-defense. We don't expect to come in through the front door, guns a blazing. If anything, try to avoid using it and alerting those inside." Carson sighed in relief, making Barry's smile a little wider and a little more genuine. He patted the doctor on the shoulder and turned back to his makeshift strike force. "Peter and I will take Clover, the rest of you take Holyoke. When you're in position, notify us on the radio with two taps. When you have your door open, three taps. Understood?" At the nods he got in return, he said "Ok, let's do this."

The team moved to the opposite corner and disappeared around it, leaving Carson standing alone and feeling very vulnerable. When they got to the door on Clover, Barry and Peter stopped. They hadn't seen any obvious external cameras yet. He nodded to the other team who silently kept going. Ronon reached the door on Holyoke first, flattening himself to the left side, Teyla and Rodney mimicking his moves on the right. Reaching up into his dreads, Ronon pulled out a thin piece of metal. He tapped the radio in his ear twice. When he got the corresponding two taps back, he motioned to McKay, who looked at the LSD and nodded that there was no one on the other side. After getting that confirmation, he leaned down and began to pick the lock. After a couple of seconds, he started to get frustrated. Sheppard had made it look so easy and he'd been able to do it back on Atlantis. But that was in the peace and quiet of his friend's room. Here, he could hear his heart thundering in his ears and it was a distraction. Teyla must have sensed how he was feeling, because he felt her comforting hand on his shoulder. Focusing back on the task at hand, he came close to bellowing out his victory when he heard the telltale snick that indicated the lock was now open. He tapped the comms three times and waited.

Several seconds later, they got the answering three taps. Nodding to his teammates, he held his gun in one hand and gently turned the handle. The door swung open with a creak and they all tensed. McKay watched the LSD and saw no movement. He looked up and nodded. Stepping inside, they closed the door behind them, more carefully this time. Thankfully, it made no more noise. They were in.

~,~,~,~,~

Inside the building, Dave began to regain consciousness. When he opened his eyes, it was to see Rebecca bending over him. "Wha…?" He croaked.

"Ah, Dave, good to see you back with us. I worried that I'd put too much of the drug in your drink. We have need of you awake."

"Rebecca? What's going on?" His voice was a bit stronger and he played his part of the confused business partner.

"We have your brother and we need information from him. However, he's being…stubborn. We're hoping you can help us with that." She smiled down at him, but it didn't reach her eyes.

"John? John's in the hospital." He said in pretend confusion.

"Really? When was the last time you saw him?" She asked smugly.

"Just before lunch. When we came back he'd gone for an…MRI. Are you saying he's not there anymore!?"

"He's not, but don't worry, you're about to be reunited." She leaned down a little closer, all good humor gone. "And make no mistake, Dave, he either gives us what we need, or you'll be the one regretting it. If we still can't convince him, then the Sheppard brothers will never be seen again. Do you understand?"

"No! No, I don't understand any of this!" He tried to sit up and realized he was strapped to the bed he was laying on and his heart started to race. Maybe this undercover stuff wasn't so great.

"Your brother has classified information we want and he's refusing to give it to us. We attempted some…coercion…but he's been remarkably unforthcoming. That's where you come in. You either get him to cooperate or you pay the price. I'm not sure how much clearer I can be!"

"Why would you do this? What classified information could John know that will help Chiffron?"

Rebecca's eyes flashed yellow and he recoiled. They'd told him about the Goa'uld and what they did to their human host, but he was still unprepared for it. Her voice took on a different timber as she replied. "I could care less about Chiffron, it's only a means to an end. What I need has nothing to do with the company." She reached out and gently, for her, gripped his throat. To Dave, it felt like a vise and he instantly began to gasp for air. After a few seconds, she let go and smiled again. "That's only a small taste of what's in store for you if your brother continues on his present course."

She stood back up and pointed to one of her associates, her voice back to normal. "You! Take him to Johannsen and remind him that he only has a few hours left to succeed or he'll be replaced…permanently." She turned to the other man who'd accompanied her. "You! Come with me. I need to get back to the office. I'm sure someone will be contacting me when Mr. Sheppard here comes up missing. I need to have an alibi." She looked at Dave again with that eerie smile. "You and I met, discussed a mutually beneficial business partnership for an hour or so and then you left. That was the last time I saw you. I used a secret entrance I had added to the building a few years ago when I had the garage upgraded. No one saw me leave the building nor will they see me come back and I'm sure no one will remember that you didn't."

Swallowing against the pain in his throat, Dave said. "My driver…"

"Oh, not to worry. By the time he comes looking for you, I'll have doctored footage of you leaving out the opposite side of the building. I, of course, will have no idea why you didn't go out the main entrance to where he was waiting and will be suitably concerned for a colleague."

Dave looked at her and narrowed his eyes. "You have no intention of letting us out of here alive, do you? What incentive do either John, or I, have to help you?"

"If he gives us what we want, we can make the memory of this all go away and replace it with a nice one of a comfortable meeting in my office."

"How is that even possible?" He knew from what Davis had told him, that the Trust had access to alien technology and he didn't exactly relish the idea of some of it being used on him.

"That's my little secret." She looked at her watch and sighed. "I'm so sorry, Dave, but I really must run. Hopefully, I'll see you again." She turned on her heel and left, her appointed bodyguard trailing behind her.

When they exited the building, Carson was watching. When he realized they would be driving past where he was, he worried that he'd be seen and that it would raise an alarm. Thinking quickly, he sat on the ground, leaning up against the building. He dragged his hands through the dirt and smeared it over his face and clothes, pushing aside the little medical voice in his head that screamed about bacteria and infection. He leaned a little to the left and closed his eyes to a slit, letting his mouth drop open, his arms at his side, hands open and now dirty palms up. He hoped they'd see what he wanted them to. A homeless man passed out from too much booze or drugs. When they passed him without even slowing down, he sighed in relief and waited until they were out of sight. Standing back up, he tapped his comms and spoke softly into it. "Morley just left with one of the men." He got the one tap he was waiting for and sagged against the building. This cloak and dagger stuff was not what his good mum had raised him for. Realizing that his friends still had need of him, he straightened up and want back on watch.

Inside, the remaining man unlocked the wheels on the gurney and began to push it towards the door. Johannsen stepped in from another room from where he'd been monitoring the interaction between the boss and Sheppard's brother. He stopped and looked down at Dave, who stared back up at him. There was very little physical resemblance between the two men, he noticed idly.

"Mr. Johannsen, Ms. Morley asked me to remind you that you only have a few hours left and that she'd replace you if you don't get what she wants." The other man said timidly.

"I'm well aware of that, Givens. Now, if you would be so kind as to bring our new guest in to see his brother?"

He turned and led the way, walking through the door first and the Colonel instantly focused on him. Behind him, he could hear Givens set the gurney in place and his footsteps as he moved away. Robert stepped to the side to allow the two men their first sight of each other. Dave's reaction was as expected as he took in his brother's bruised and battered body hanging in the middle of the room. When he asked his brother if he was okay, the Colonel just stared through him and Robert wondered if he would ever break. When the older Sheppard asked who he was, he again refused to give his name and then listened to the man spout nonsense about his brother taking any information with him to the grave. When he looked closely at John, he noticed something in that flat stare that made him smile. Ah, yes, there is was! For his part, John had seen the beginning of bruises around his brother's throat and he was beyond livid, the anger giving a short-lived spark to his eyes, quickly dampened.

Robert smiled at the two of them. "Ah, brotherly love. What a wonderful concept. Shall we see how far this will take us?"

He paused for effect then said. "Givens, you can leave." The other man fled the room without a backwards glance. Some of the others enjoyed Johannsen's talents, but he wasn't one of them.

Robert stepped over to the table and made a show of picking up a syringe and vial, while Dave watched with his heart in his mouth. Dave looked at John, but his brother only had eyes for this madman in front of them. "You know what this does to people, John. You've experienced it twice yourself. How you've managed to withstand it, is beyond me. I wonder?" Here he looked at John with a smile. "Does that ability run in the family? Does your brother have the same high threshold for pain? Or will he be a sobbing mess when I'm done with him. This is your last chance, or I inject your brother."

When John said nothing, he pulled the liquid into the syringe and made a show of pushing the plunger to eject any air bubbles, the extra fluid arcing into the air. He turned towards David Sheppard, placed a hand on his right arm and lined the needle up with one of the veins that were standing out as the man struggled against his bonds. "You'll feel a small prink and then you'll take a short nap. When you wake up, the fun will begin." Behind him, he heard a gasp and then some soft words. He stared down at Dave for a second and then removed the needle. He patted the arm and said. "Well, you may just have gotten a reprieve. Let's see what your soldier brother has to say."

While Snidely's attention had been focused on Dave, John had slowly turned his wrists in the cuffs and stood on tiptoe to grasp the chains above them, ignoring the agony from the broken finger and the tears in his wrists from the metal cutting into them, the drugs still making everything seem ten times more painful. He mumbled a few nonsense words, the first he'd spoken in hours and Snidely had stopped what he was doing. He let himself hang dejectedly in the chains, the tears of pain he'd been holding back, released. He hung with his chin on his chest, but he was watching and gathering what little strength he had left.

Robert smiled in triumph. "What was that Sheppard?"

A little louder, John replied. "Please…please…just…don't hurt him. This has nothing to do with him. I'll…I'll…give you whatever you need, just don't hurt him. He's all the family I have left." His words sounded broken and Robert savored them. He began to walk closer and John raised his head, the tear tracks sending a thrill through his torturer. When John frowned and looked upwards, he automatically followed his victim's eyes and that's when John struck. Holding onto the chains, he brought his feet up and struck Snidely in the neck, with an upward motion, as hard as he could. He felt the satisfying crunch of the larynx breaking as the man's head snapped forward and watched emotionlessly as he dropped the syringe and grabbed for his throat. John knew he was already dead. The airway would have closed and nothing short of immediate emergency surgery would save his life, something he wasn't going to get. Snidely blinked at him a couple times in shock and then dropped to the ground as his body began to convulse from the lack of oxygen.

There was no sound in the room except his desperate gasps for air until John said in that same flat voice he'd used before. "I told you I would kill you with my bare hands. I guess bare feet is close enough." When the sounds stopped, and the man was still, John looked up to find his brother staring at him.

"Is he…is he dead?"

"Yeah."

"Good! I hope he suffered!"

John stared at Dave in astonishment, expecting to hear only revulsion and condemnation in his brother's voice. His actual words stunned him, and he found himself regretting his actions even though he knew he'd had no choice. He tried to make his brother understand. "I'm not proud of it Dave, I just did what I had to. No one should suffer like that." He'd meant what he'd said. He'd had every intention of killing Snidely, just not with the intention of making him suffer. It should have been quick. Torturing the man would have brought him down to his level.

"Do you think I'm blind John?" Dave responded fiercely, taking in the blood and bruises he could see on his brother's face and arms, darkening the tattered scrubs he still wore, the eye swollen shut. "Do you think I don't know that he did that to you? Do you think I'm stupid enough to believe he hasn't done this to others before you? He was a monster and he deserved to die."

John had no response. The two brothers stared at one another until John broke the silence. "I'm sorry Dave, but that doesn't get us out of this. Snidely may be dead but he wasn't here alone. We're still stuck here."

"Snidely? You nicknamed him _Snidely_?"

"What does that matter? Did you not hear what I just said? No one knows where we are! These people will just send in someone else and it will probably be worse because I just killed one of their best interrogators. You don't know what we're up against!"

"Well, I know Rebecca is a Goa'uld and high up in the Trust."

John's jaw dropped open and he winced from the pain. Snapping it closed, he blinked furiously, wondering where Dave had gotten that little piece of information.

"I also know Ronon, Rodney, Teyla, Carson, Jenkins and Stevens are in the building somewhere. Searching for us using our transmitters." Dave rattled off all the names, pleased that he'd been able to shock his little brother with his knowledge.

John focused on one piece of information. " _Our_ transmitters?! Are you telling me that they knew you were going to be abducted, gave you a transmitter and then let it happen?"

"Actually, it was two transmitters and it was my idea. When Rebecca called out of the blue and insisted that we meet, it raised some suspicions. Paul checked their records and her name came up on the list of suspected Trust members. Carson implanted me with both transmitters and Peter drove me to my meeting, the rest following along behind, tracking us. I must say, your Rodney really impressed me. If he ever decides to leave the Stargate program, I would love to have him join the company." He deliberately used each person's first name, feeling a little bit like he was 'name dropping' but he was enjoying the new-found ability to surprise his brother.

John's mouth opened and closed a couple times as he tried to find words. His brother was naming names and spouting knowledge about top secret things, without hesitation. Dave was grinning at him when the door exploded inwards and Ronon stood there with his gun sweeping the room. The rest piled in behind him, knowing that they'd neutralized everyone else in the building and expecting to rescue their wayward Sheppards with no interference. The scene that greeted them had them nonplussed. The Colonel hanging from chains in the middle of the room, the CEO restrained to a gurney positioned along the wall, both men staring at them, and a dead man in the middle.

From his bed, Dave pretended to yawn and said. "Well, I guess better late than never?" He chanced a look at his brother and the two burst into laughter, although it obviously pained the Colonel.

"Oh my God, they've brainwashed them!" Rodney said, it was the only explanation for such an inappropriate reaction to their rescue.

"We're not brainwashed McKay, just happy to see you guys. If you wouldn't mind untying Dave and maybe, if you have the time, getting me the hell down from here?"

Teyla practically ran to him. "Ronon! Help me with him!"

"Teyla! Are you okay?"

Teyla frowned at him. "I am fine, why would I not be?"

"Snidely threatened to take either you or Dave. I worried that it would be you, that they would hurt you to get to me."

She smiled at him, a little tremulously as she took in the state of his face. Touching his cheek gently, she said. "They took the bait and went after Dave instead." The look that crossed his face had her step back a bit.

"Yeah, about that! What possessed you to let my brother put himself in danger like that?!" His anger was directed at everyone in the room, including her.

"I can take care of myself John! And no one _let_ me! I did it of my _own_ free will." Dave sat up and rubbed his wrists that were now free of the restraints, Jenkins now working on the one around his left foot and Stevens the one on his right.

"Like hell you can take of yourself! Maybe in the corporate world you're a bad ass. But this is my world, Dave, and you could have died!"

"But I didn't, did I? I came up with the idea and it worked!"

"Um, if I could interject for a moment?" McKay said.

"What?!" Two voices responded.

"Not that I'm not enjoying your squabbling, but would someone care to explain the dead body in the room?"

"John killed him." Dave said before his brother could reply.

"He killed him. While he was hanging from a chain in the middle of the room." McKay sounded disbelieving.

"He sure did! With his bare feet!" Dave sounded ridiculously proud and everyone stared at him in shock. "What?"

"Oh my God, it does run in the family! It must be genetic." McKay said.

"Hello? Still hanging here!" John said.

Ronon and Teyla snapped out of their fascination with what was going on and moved to his side again. Teyla supported him as Ronon tried to undo the cuffs but they were too strong. Turning back to the dead body, Teyla began to rummage through his pockets, looking for the keys. Standing back up, she turned and said. "He does not have the keys. John, do you know where they are?"

"No, if he doesn't have them and they're not on the table, I have no idea." Ronon's blaster whined as he flicked it on. "Chewy! Be careful with that!"

"You want down, don't you?"

"Yeah, but preferably not as a crispy critter!"

"It's on stun."

"Oh, well, that makes me feel so much better." John really did want down. "Okay, do it. Everyone stand back just in case."

Carson stepped into the room just in time to hear the plan, having been given the all clear by Barry. "Ye'll do no such thing John Sheppard! When the chains let go, ye'll fall to the floor and probably injure yerself even worse. What a daft plan!"

"Well, I can't just hang around here for the rest of my life." He rattled the chains and hissed in pain. "I want out of these damn things." He paused. "Hi Carson." He frowned. "Why are you so dirty?"

"Long story. I…"

"Hang on." McKay said, his hand to his ear.

"Really Rodney?" John asked.

"What? Oh please, that's not what I meant. I just got word from the Daedalus. They're here and wanted to let me know that they've found John's signal and have a location for me." They all looked at each other and laughter broke out once more.

When it died down, Barry stepped forward. "John? Where's Mark?"

Sheppard's face dropped and that told them the answer without words. "I'm so sorry, Barry. He didn't make it."

Stoically, Barry asked. "Where's his body?" They wouldn't leave him behind.

"There…isn't one. They used a zat gun on him."

Barry closed his eyes and shook his head. "That's going to be a tough sell to his parents and his wife. He leaves behind two small children."

John started at him in horror. "No! He…he told me his parents were dead, no siblings! That he'd never married, not even a girlfriend to mourn him!" The two men shared a long look and John hung his head, knowing Mark had said that to spare him pain.

"John…." Barry started.

"It's okay, I get it. I want you to let his family know he was one of the bravest men I ever met. I'd like to attend the service, if I can."

"Of course. John, this is not your fault. It's the job. You know that as well as I do."

"I know." He paused. "Please, get me down." He seemed much more subdued.

Barry nodded. "If we can't find the keys, maybe I can pick the locks." He looked around the room and found a chair. "Ronon, if you and Teyla can hold John up, I'll see what I can do." He moved the chair next to John and stepped up on it. Working as quickly as he could, he picked the locks, not mentioning the blood that stained the cuffs. He got one open and John's arm flopped down, eliciting a whimper from the man. From what he knew about John, that meant agony. He knew from experience that having your arms forced above your head for an extended period was uncomfortable. Being able to finally lower them again was incredibly painful. He turned his attention to the other lock and made quick work of that, now that he knew how they worked.

John slumped down into Ronon's arms when he was no longer chained, and the big man lowered his friend to the floor. Panting due to the pain that was ratcheting up now that the adrenalin rush was dissipating, he pointed to the syringe on the floor. "M..mmmake sure you take that…" He closed his eyes and concentrated on dulling the pain.

"Why?" McKay asked as he stooped and picked it up. "What's in it?"

"Pain…." Sheppard whispered back

Dave said worriedly. "They threatened to inject me with it to make him talk. Snidely said they'd already given John two doses."

Carson moved in immediately and began to check his most frequent patient. He tutted now and again but didn't say anything at first. When he finished, he stood up and looked around the room. "Well, bruises, contusions and several broken ribs, but he's had worse."

" _He_ is happy to hear that." John said a bit more strongly, his pain back under his iron control. He looked around. "Can we get out of here now?"

"Aye, back to the hospital for you. We'll have to do bloodwork to see about that drug they gave you.""

"Aw, Carson…."

"John Sheppard, you are hurt, and you will listen to your doctor." Teyla said.

"Yes ma'am." Was said quietly. He stared at her and could see the relief in her eyes. "I'm sorry this happened. I didn't mean to worry you."

She knelt beside him, placing a hand on his chest right over his heart. He covered it with his own and she turned her hand to grip his. "It was not your fault. I…we…are all just glad that we were able to find you in time. Although, it appears Major Davis was half right."

"What do you mean?"

"He said you would most likely rescue yourself. You stopped the man who was hurting you. You just needed us to get you the rest of the way out."

"I'll always need you…" He looked at his team. "…all of you."

Teyla raised an eyebrow. "I wonder what else that drug did to you?" Such a statement was un-John like. Leaning down, she whispered in his ear. "I love you John Sheppard. I would have been very upset if things had turned out differently."

He smiled up at her and whispered back. "I love you too."

~,~,~,~,~

Three months later, John stood on the deck of the Daedalus. He was mostly recovered, just some twinges here and there, now and again. He'd had a setback shortly after arriving back at the hospital as an infection had set in. His temp had spiked to 106 and he'd had seizures. Once they were sure there would be no interactions with drug he'd been given, the docs had loaded him up with antibiotics and he'd made a slow recovery. Unfortunately, he'd missed Mark's funeral. Once he was released, he'd made it a point of honor to visit the family.

He'd been back on light duty after two months and was about to be released to full duty the next day. He'd been given another medal by the President and this time his brother and his team were there, including Ronon and Teyla, along with Barry Jenkins and Peter Stevens, this time standing with him, not as the President's security detail. That had been left to others that day. They'd all gone out to eat after and had enjoyed themselves greatly, Ronon and McKay getting a bit tipsy on beer, Carson on his favorite scotch. It was agreed that the renditions of Danny Boy heard that night, would never be spoken about again.

The next day he, Ronon, Teyla, Rodney and Carson had gone back to Atlantis. Dave had asked if he could visit them there some day and John was working on that, figuring O'Neill would be his best bet, although the man had been stubborn so far. Now he was back in the Milky Way and about to fulfill a promise that had had to be put on hold while he recovered. Smiling, he turned to Barry and asked. "You ready to go for a spin in space?"

"Oh, hell yeah!" The agent smiled back at him. "I can't wait! How fast does it go?"

"You are sooo going to love this!"

The two left the bridge, still talking a mile a minute about speed as they headed for the 302 bay, leaving behind a bemused Colonel Caldwell who had, surprisingly, been pleased to help the man fulfill that promise. Once the President had okayed it, of course. He shook his head, having been fully apprised of what had happened on Earth. Rebecca Morley had been detained and the symbiote removed and terminated. She claimed that she'd been a victim. However, they had plenty of evidence that she'd willing been implanted. She was currently in a cell in Area 51, under close watch. Chiffron had started to take a nosedive after it was announced that she'd 'left to pursue other interests' and Sheppard Industries had stepped in, under the aegis of the President. The company had turned around almost immediately, now doing better than they ever had. They'd cleared her board of other Trust operatives, some of whom were dead before they had a chance to get to them, although a few others were occupying cells next to her. They'd gotten enough information to uncover not one, but two, moles in the Secret Service, neither one aware of the other. He shook his head.

In just three days on Earth, Sheppard got made full bird, took a bullet meant for the President, got kidnapped by the Trust, was beaten for information and then rescued. Things like that only happened to the younger man. He looked out the front observation window as a 302 flew by, doing corkscrews. He'd asked for their radios to be played on the bridge and now regretted it.

"Yeehaw!" Reverberated through the bridge and he turned to ask Marks to shut it off. Seeing the smiles on the entire bridge crew, he decided to let it go.

~,~,~,~,~


End file.
